Fate's Monster
by klcm
Summary: The team find themselves dabbling with fate in the wrong way... MorganGarcia, JJHotch, RossiPrentiss.. TORUTRE WITHIN
1. Fate Broke Us

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_So... seeing as this is the BIG 2-0-0, that means I've gotta be packing punches and making this story one of the best ever... So let's hope I achieve said quota and you enjoy it!_

_Expect updates every other day for this one... I need to find a perfect balance between this and real life!_

_A special thanks to Jekkah for being amazing pre-reader and keeping the teasing going all over facebook... ;)_

_I hope you enjoy!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

It should have been another celebratory night out, Emily thought as she allowed herself to loosen up on the dance floor with Rossi. End of a case should have been cause for a team celebration. However, her focus kept switching. She looked to Derek and his three new notches, to Penelope who sat with JJ looking serious and then to Hotch and Beth who sat alone catching up.

They weren't the team they were, they were all being driven apart by different forces and everything was changing too quickly that it made her head hurt ten times the dozen and she felt like she was losing track on everyone and everything. With it, she felt like she was losing her family.

"What's wrong?" Rossi called out to her over the call of the music. He stepped in close, pulling her towards him as he listened.

"Something's not right with us anymore," She told him and her eyes widened as she realised how that would sound. She quickly got his hand and put it back on her waist as she rectified that comment. "I mean with the team! Not us, Dave. Something's not right with the team anymore and we're falling apart."

"I know, Bella," He told her back and held her a little closer, "But what can we do?"

"I really don't know," Emily worried, but as she looked at Rossi she had to smile. "I guess it's down to us to make it right though?" She queried and she knew that by the look on Rossi's face he was already concocting a plan in his head. "I knew you'd be on my side," She smiled at him and began to feel a sense of optimism that all wasn't a lost cause.

"Anything's possible," He said jokingly and with a shock of self righteousness to his tone. "I am the Godfather after all," He told her with a wink and brought her close to his body for reassurance.

Emily laughed loudly at that and hit him teasingly. "I love you, but please don't do that again," She scolded him playfully. "You make yourself sound so old and we both know _I_ know differently."

Chuckling he indulged his needs and kissed her tentatively, "Monday we fix this, Em. You and me together, we can bring the team back together and knock some heads together whilst we're at it. You'll see."

"You're right," She relented with ease.

"For now, there's not a lot we can do apart from enjoy some time together whilst watching the kid get to grips with the women in Quantico." He nodded to Reid as he stood with an attractive woman, finally looking comfortable that he had found someone to match his babbling ways. "There's hope for us all."

Emily smiled at that, at Rossi's certainty. She was sure their lives would fall back together.

For once she couldn't wait for Monday.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

JJ had never been the jealous type. She never wanted to be and when she had met Will and gotten a gorgeous son with him, she was definitely sure that she would never be jealous again. Not over a man at least.

Back when that conclusion was drawn she was_ young_ (well younger!) and in love and a new mom - there really wasn't any room for envy. However, now nearly four years down the line she was a single mom with joint custody and she was trying to suppress the jealous rage as it began to fizzle up through her system.

When had she finally put it all together and realised she was in love with Aaron Hotchner? The day she realised that her relationship with Will was dead and gone? Or the day Aaron Hotchner had met Beth Clemmons? She knew it had been building up, but she had never known she had fallen so hard for her boss until the day he mentioned another woman. The green eyed monster was a lot scarier than anyone ever made it out to be! And every time she looked in the mirror, she was faced with it. Faced with its ugliness and its catapults of emotions and she hated it.

She hadn't thought about her jealous rage until Penelope had left her moments ago to go to the bathroom, but it seemed to just rear its ugly head every given opportunity. Now she realised she had been left far too long without her right hand woman and her thoughts were consuming her and the jealousy was flaring all the more.

She needed Penelope back to distract her.

Even though they hadn't spoken about her distant mood over simple areas, she was pretty sure Penelope was beginning to sense something was a matter and the inner profiler in the tech kitten wouldn't allow for anything to be left unsaid.

"You've got that look in your eyes, Sweetums," Penelope chirped a little off key for her usual self as she slipped onto one of the stools at the table. She watched her blonde headed friend look at her with wide blue eyes, "You're jealous."

JJ felt her heart balloon as she looked to her best friend and felt herself calm a little before realising that she was clocked and couldn't hide from it now. "What makes you say that?" JJ asked as she tried to cover up.

Laughing, Penelope leaned towards her, "I know jealousy when I see." She stated coolly and raised one of her eyebrows pressingly. "So, c'mon on, is it Hotch and his new woman?" She asked him out right and she smirked as JJ tried to think of a new excuse. "It is, isn't it?"

JJ shrugged, trying not to make it seem like a big deal.

"So why don't you tell him how you feel about him?" Penelope asked her friend, "I mean, he and Beth are fresh in the relationship department, but you need to tell him before you lose him."

JJ shook her head. "He doesn't want to take on a single mom," JJ tried to wash it aside. She didn't see her son as baggage, she loved him too much and was proud of him, but she was pretty sure other men would see it as a massive turn off.

"He's a single dad, you two are in similar predicaments," Penelope told her plainly, pointing out the obvious to her friend. "I don't see the problem there."

"Of course you don't," JJ chided out and gave out a small smile to try and ease the moment. "Are you okay by the way?" JJ asked out of the blue, changing the subject promptly. "I mean, Morgan's barely spoken to you since that blow out at the bar a fortnight ago and tonight you seem to not be able to take your eyes off of one another."

Penelope smiled, albeit sadly, before she spoke; "Jealousy." Shrugging, Penelope looked at her drink before taking a large gulp of it to cover her nerves. "The same thing that tore us apart is still ripping me to shreds, Jayje."

"Have you told him that?" JJ asked as she tore her eyes off of Hotch and Beth and looked across the table at her friend.

"And have to put up with a snide remark from one his entourages?" Penelope asked and looked at Derek as he lapped up the female attention, his smile bright, but to Penelope – who knew him best – it wasn't bright enough. "No way," She finally answered her own question and looked back at JJ. "I had enough embarrassment that night; I really don't fancy being made to feel the ugliest girl around by women that only want him for sex _again_."

"But sex is good," JJ pointed out as she put her back to the world in the bar and stirred her drink.

"So you and Boss man..." Penelope trailed off questioningly changing the subject. "Anything happening before Beth came on the scene or did you bottle it?"

"I didn't say a word," JJ told Penelope and sighed heavily. "Plus he and Beth are moving along nicely, so really, there's no need to disrupt that," JJ retorted and sighed again. "I really wonder why I bother with men y'know that right?"

"Yes," Penelope snorted as her face scrunched up with disappointment. "Just a whole load of running around and not much reward from the one you really want is there?"

"Nope, and that's the problem. Us girls wear our hearts on our sleeves and we're always the ones that have to get it out from under their feet."

Penelope laughed a little as she finished her gulp, "Bit of a squishy analogy there, Jayje, but I'll go with it," Penelope commented as she thought about it for a moment. "The only way I'd be able to salvage the Morgan Garcia sinking ship was if someone trapped us in a room."

"It can be arranged," JJ observed sarcastically, trying to take the seriousness away from this evening. "He can be your hero if that were to happen."

Penelope snorted at that final remark, "He quite honestly hates me at the moment, so I'm pretty sure he'd save himself and then, if I'm lucky, he'd get help for me."

"You can't believe that's true?" JJ asked in shocked, "It's Morgan, no matter what, he'd do everything to protect you."

"Once upon a time I believed that, but now, I'm really not too sure," Penelope replied nonchalantly. "You okay here? I think I just want to go home." She continued as she couldn't escape the feeling like she was being watched and even in a crowded bar, she could hear the irritating giggle of the three women lavishing the man she was in love with.

"Erm, sure, I might come over to yours in a bit, I just want to see Emily," JJ mentioned, hoping that name dropping would make Penelope prolong her goodbye. "Maybe you can bounce off her over this?"

"Nothing to bounce, Sweetie," Penelope chimed with a bright smile as she came to stand. "I will be up with a glass of wine or three and multiple films so call me when you're downstairs and I'll have the door open and a glass ready."

"You're the hitting the wine?" JJ questioned with an eyebrow cocked – this was serious! "_You're_ hitting the wine?" She repeated with a laugh, "Tomorrow's hangover's going to be fun."

"Good thing I can stay in bed all day then," Penelope almost sang positively. "Head's me up and all and say goodbye to my remaining superheroes for me and apologise. I just need to get out of here."

"Okay," JJ told her and said goodbye with their usual way before letting her go, "Oh Pen!" She quickly called out and watched Penelope turn back, "Their laughs are really irritating me too." She quipped and saw Penelope grin at her, "I'll see you in a bit!"

JJ let her smile fall as she watched Penelope almost flee the bar and she looked to Derek to see his attention revert to Penelope as she rushed passed, a blast of colour and no goodbye and she frowned as he looked devastated over her silent departure.

What confused her more was Derek's next set of actions. He snapped back to the moment and looked at the three girls, he was now looking at them differently and as they poured more touches and giggles and sexual innuendos at him he stood up straight. His face was now contorted with a serious nature and then he left.

Derek leaving the bar in the same manner that Penelope had - Without a goodbye to anyone.

JJ couldn't help but smirk smugly as all three women looked at one another with equal confusion. _Served them right!_

Looking out to the dance floor, JJ saw that Emily and Rossi were being too intimate and she took that a sign to leave and go to Penelope's earlier that she anticipated. A glass of wine, some time with Pen and a few films seemed like a perfect distraction right at that moment. Tomorrow she could get up and go and get son and then go back to a normal life.

Downing her drink, she stood and grabbed her back; pretty sure she could slink off too without being noticed.

"Let me give you a lift if you're going anywhere," Hotch spoke from behind her as he came back to the table. "I see Penelope and Morgan have gone."

"Literally just left," JJ told him and turned to him. "No Beth?" She asked casually.

Hotch shook his head, "So that lift?"

"It's fine, Aaron," JJ told him truthfully and offered him a reassuring smile. "I'm going to Pen's and that's in the opposite direction so I'll just catch a cab."

"I'm giving you a lift," Hotch told her sternly.

JJ couldn't get rid of the sense of foreboding that was attacking her every nerve, but she guessed being in close proximity with the boss that you had fallen madly in love with would do that to you.

Surely there wasn't something else up fates sleeve?

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	2. The Change Up

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_Wow! Thank you for the response to this! You all rock! =)_

_Rating is going to start going up from here on out... HEADS UP THERE! _

_For now I hope you enjoy!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

JJ had never felt a headache like it, but the moment she felt it was the moment that she knew something terrible had gone wrong. She was supposed to be nearing Penelope's apartment, not in this predicament.

Against her will and to her stunned awareness, she was suddenly dragged from the car, only seeing Hotch's dangling body. Everything happened too quickly, she didn't even hear or feel the seatbelt be sliced to release its hold on her body, nor did she remember her body hitting the roof of the car as she fell freely. All she remembered was the terror that this situation was evoking in her.

Even with terror filling her, she couldn't just allow this to be it. She had to fight for Henry, fight for Hotch, fight to get her family back together because like everyone else was showing, she was sick of the distances coming between them. She wanted to get life back on track and not have any regrets.

"Aaron!" She cried out as she struggled against the man's hold. She could feel his hands digging into her skin as he allowed his grasp to tighten on her. In a frenzied attempt she fought back as she was dragged from the wreckage of Hotch's SUV. "Aaron!" She panicked as she realised she was done for. Her weakened strength wasn't helping her win this battle and the pain in her head was doing nothing to take away her disorientation. "Aaron, please, Aaron!"

As she thought the worst was going to happen. Hotch was mortally wounded and left inside the mesh of metal and she was about to be taken away from all sanity to whatever fate was waiting for her.

Suddenly, she heard a growl and then within seconds she was impacting the floor, stunned as her body smacked against the concrete, her head connecting with it as an effect. She lay still for a moment, only becoming aware of the scuffling after a couple of minutes and she quickly sparked to life.

By the time her body actually responded and she looked to see the car that she should've been in driving off at a high speed she felt herself being lifted.

"Come on," Hotch said as he helped her move, but quickly caught her as her legs gave way and he realised she was in no state to move far. "I've got you," He told her and supported her the best he could before laying her down.

She flashed her glance upwards and looked into Hotch's eyes and couldn't suppress a smile as she realised he had saved her. They had just been driving along, finally getting back on track when they were caught unaware by the unknown assailant and then he saved her life and she couldn't deny that her heart sped up a little faster at the thought of him being her saviour.

It was as her vision began to blur and the darkness began to creep around her peripheral that she felt herself weaken and then without thinking, she just spoke what was living deep within her. "I'm in love with you," She whispered out in a pained voice and felt the words catch in her throat. "I just wanted you to know," She managed in a dying voice as she caved to the darkness.

Hotch closed his eyes as sirens pierced into the air around him. He cradled JJ still and felt lost, "I love you too." He managed before a new sense of chaos took over and he had to step away from JJ and get himself checked over.

As though this moment had given him new perspective, Hotch knew he couldn't run from what he really wanted in life any longer without being aware that it could be easily taken away.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Hotch had been seen to and looked to the door with every passing movement. He felt a wash of relief overcome him as Rossi walked in, Emily following him quickly. Now maybe he would get some answers seeing as no one with any authority in this damn building was giving him a straight answer.

"How's JJ?" He asked instantly, not caring for welcomes.

"They're going to keep her in overnight, we're just waiting for us to be allowed into her room," Rossi told Hotch as he stood at the end of the bed. "You okay?"

"As I can be," Hotch replied dryly. "He was trying to kidnap JJ and I got so angry that I just lost it." Hotch admitted, his tone distant, his gaze quickly distant. "He tried to kidnap JJ," Hotch almost roared as reality hit him hard, "We have a major issue on our hands."

"We know," Emily answered him back plainly.

"What do you mean you know?" Hotch asked him agitatedly, "How could you possibly know that?" The simplest explanation hit him then, "Have you seen JJ?"

Shaking his head, Rossi looked solemn, "A nurse told us that JJ had told her to tell whoever turned up for her. She knew we'd get here before anyone." He saw Hotch digest the news, "Aaron, there's more."

"What?" Hotch asked, his voice reaching up an octave with irritation. "What else is there?" He feared for JJ's health immediately, he wondered if there was more damage than he had though.

"Penelope and Derek aren't home," Rossi confirmed, his tone calm, but full of dread. "Derek's car was ambushed and Penelope's apartment was a wreck. There's forensics there, but they're missing."

"A nurse told us that JJ had mentioned the man that hit you tried to kidnap her right out of the car," Emily continued on from Rossi's thought.

"Let me get dressed, we need to get to JJ and see what she knows," Hotch said as he jumped straight into becoming the boss again. "We'll get an artist in, and get something to run through VICAP. We need an APB out on the car too. It was a dark blue sedan, blacked out windows, dent on its left front bumper."

"Already on it," Rossi assured making sure that Hotch knew that he had started this ball rolling. "We'll be outside waiting."

Leaving Hotch to get changed, Rossi took Emily's hand and took her back to the waiting room where they would wait to take Hotch to JJ. Quickly, Rossi made a phone call to check if there were any updates, or – if they were lucky – major breakthroughs and developments. He watched from afar as Emily took a seat as she seemed to become almost emotionless with the shock of the situation.

Emily couldn't let the worry disperse from her body. Here she was with two of her friends, _her family_, in hospital and two other members of her family were missing. It all seemed too much of a coincident to happen in one night.

"They're linked," Emily whispered as she felt Rossi begin to soothe her by running his hand over her back as he came to sit next to her. "The person that took Pen and Derek, he tried to get JJ and Hotch."

"You can't be serious, Em," Rossi pushed back the idea. "It's too much pressure for one night for one person."

"Two Unsubs?" Emily asked as she sat up. "Dave, I think we've got two Unsubs working together. What are the chances that two FBI agents get abducted and another two are in a serious accident. One where one of said agents is almost abducted?" Emily asked, her voice slowly picking up in paced. "And Spence? Where's he?"

"Okay, so we need to profile this as if it were a team of Unsubs with a double abduction. Reid's at home, he's going to meet us here as soon as. He's okay, Em."

Emily took a deep breath, her mind not thinking like an agent for the moment, "What do we do?"

"Bella, we do what we know," Rossi told her calmly. "We go with what we have and we wait for contact to be made to give us leads and allow them to slip up that way."

"What if contact isn't made?" Emily fretted, feeling a little weak at this entire influx. "What if-"

Rossi stopped her, "You're gonna hurt yourself if you start this now," He started to tell her gently. "We do what we do best, Em. We work to get them back."

"This wasn't part of the plan though," Emily told him quietly as Rossi pulled her tight to his side and kissed her temple reassuringly. She had envisaged Monday morning coming around, Rossi fighting tough with everyone and using his authority to get everyone to see sense. Now, however, everything was falling through on her. This plan would never happen if they weren't a complete bunch like they were only hours before.

Smiling at her lovingly, he pushed a piece of hair out of her face, "Sometimes we just have to change the plan."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope tried her hardest to be brave. Oh boy did she, but she couldn't take the truth of reality. Here she was bound and gagged and on the opposite side of the room was the man who had become her enemy faster than a shot of lightening. He too was bound and gagged. He, unlike her though, was chained to wall - A definite sign that he was more the watcher than receiver in this sick idea of a situation.

She had to wonder idly if he were to step up and help her - if he could that was - if she was in the way of danger. Would he kick up a fuss to save her or would he let her get what was coming to her? Would he rile the bad guy and instigate his own punishment for whatever he was here for? Would he provoke a mad man to give her a little extra time?

She guessed she would just have to await that fate.

One of the things she hated, was knowing that she was stuck here, with Derek, and all before the team could find themselves again. She felt like cases had dragged them apart, tiredness had ripped into them and they had all left the level plane they had all walked on together. She wanted to get back and solve this; she didn't want this to be that. However, if there was one thing she knew it was that the remaining superheroes that she idolized were going to fight to get their own back.

When she saw Derek's head move to face the door, she joined him as she dropped back to reality and her eyes widened to try and see the man clearer and put an identity to him. She failed instantly. She watched the masked man come towards her and she could see just from his eyes that he was so full of intent, so full of glee. He didn't even look at Derek, he went straight for Penelope.

That intent and glee was meant for her.

Gulping difficultly around the gag, Penelope prepared herself to be welcomed to hell.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

After waking up what had felt like hours earlier, Derek had watched Penelope from across the room and had tried his hardest to capture her attention with his eyes alone. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy ride, but he had to try everything to repent for them falling out of their friendship because of his sheer will.

He couldn't deny the feeling that all was too late for shoulda, woulda, coulda's now, and he would do anything to prove that he would fight anyone and anything to protect her.

Looking to the door, he watched as a burly man came in and he instantly came up short in recognising him. He had never seen a man matching his build before and the mask on his face was only making Derek all the more agitated, but he had seen that look in his eyes. He had seen it in the eyes of so many Unsubs – _that intent, that purpose, that plan_.

Derek saw red instantly as he watched the man approach Penelope. He would do anything and that included breaking his hands to get free if was to stop him from laying even a finger on her. He never relented and even broke skin as the man finally reached her.

He felt his breathing become strong and heavy with pure rage and in his mind he was calling himself an idiot rather than making up death plans for this bastard. If he hadn't have gone off of the handle, he and Penelope wouldn't be living this moment as separates, they would be able to support one another, but he had killed that possibility with his own insecurities.

Now he had to fight for their freedom and then fight for her back.

For now he seemed to be watching his own worse nightmare coming true.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Having her hands untied, Penelope was pulled to her feet and quickly pressed flush to the wall. She felt his hands move down her body and she tried to remember a happier time, a time before this, but as her head went back and she whimpered out in disgust and fear, she felt his hand come to clasp her neck, keeping her head tilted back with force, his hand slipping up to squeeze her jaw painfully.

He sniggered as he moved his hand back down the soft scoop of her neck and began to tighten his grasp and the more that he pushed to her to wall and stole her breath, the more the man behind her kicked up a fuss and fought against the mental chains keeping him on the floor on the other side of the room.

Penelope could feel the depletion of air as his grip became like a vice and slowly got tighter and tighter. It was happening faster than she had ever anticipated it too. Her eyes began to roll into the back of her head and her hands were gradually losing their power to fight him off of her. Soon Derek's struggle began to just fade into the background and all she could hear between this mad man's evil laugh was her mind screaming at her to survive this.

Just as her body gave up, and her eyes closed fully she hit the floor and all of the remaining air she had was swept straight from her. Her breathing was difficult as her lungs were able to suck in oxygen through her nose. The gag making it impossible to cough and clear her airways to get enough air in to help her get some sense back.

Opening her eyes again, she could see the man's booted feet and just past she could see the blurry outline of Derek. Slowly she watched as the feet parted a little and the man dropped down into a crouch in front of her.

"Now, Penelope," He started and ran a hand over her face to clear it of hair. "You're going to be here a while and I don't intend to give any warm ups. You and Derek need to see that this isn't going to be an easy ride."

He looked over his shoulder at Derek and laughed.

"I'd get some rest for now," He mentioned as he turned back to Penelope. "You two are going to have such a show for one another."

He left Penelope untied as he saw her swimming in the realms of consciousness and otherwise. He knew she wouldn't be able to do much even if she was able to move much. Derek was chained up, and the room was completely stark of anything.

It was just the two of them and four hard, solid, sound proofed, concrete walls.

He got up and left the pair satisfied.

As Penelope's eyes drooped closed from lack of air she looked right ahead and could see Derek's blurry form still ripping away to move some of the chains. She felt elated at that sight. After not talking for almost a fortnight she was happy to know he cared enough about her even if it was just for the moment and their predicament.

She was just relieved in that instance to hear Derek fight back.

Maybe he didn't hate her as much as he said he did.

_Maybe._

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	3. What Evil Wants

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_Another day, another chapter! Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favourites... I hope you all continue to enjoy this!_

_Right, rating changes from here on out as we take everything up a notch... Beware!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"No," Penelope said as she woke up to someone looming over her, "No, please," She begged as he bent down to put his hands on her arms. "No." Her throat was still sore and she literally felt like it was a crumpled mess now. She knew it was a new day immediately, but she wasn't ready for any form of round two to begin just yet.

Derek woke up and instantly thrashed against the chains on his wrists as he watched the man picking Penelope up enough to drag her away from her place in the corner. He hadn't realised that she had had the gag removed and she had been unbound whilst they had slept. He just watched her be slammed down onto the concrete floor, her head connecting heavily with the hard ground. Still trying to get free, he watched as the man dropped down on top of her.

Punching up, Penelope fought back whatever was coming to her, but she was still stunned from her head hitting the ground and she was frozen with fear like she was every time he entered the room. This time, however, the man picked her up by her shoulders and slammed her head to the ground once more and smirked as the desired effects were to be had. Penelope's eyes dropped a little as she began to lose consciousness. Having studied pain receptors, he leaned in towards her neck and bit in hard to her warm flesh.

Penelope couldn't stop the tears of pain from seeping from her eyes. As she felt the man bite into her skin harder she let out a blood curdling scream and could just about hear Derek's bellowing tone as he attempted to halt this session of torture. She felt awake all of a sudden, her body coming alive with the sensation of pain as it coursed through the top half of her body.

Ripping away, he spat out and looked down at Penelope, blood lining his lips and teeth like a cannibal lapping up his latest feast. He grinned at her as he watched her battle the pain and then flickered his eyes to the deep wound to her neck and laughed.

He knew he would be back for more of _this _soon. The taste of her blood as it lined his mouth could only be described as divine. The way it trickled down the back of his throat made his innate instincts fire up and the yearn to taste more went into overdrive.

He scolded himself, he had all the time in the world to literally drink her dry and, oh man, did he have plans to do exactly that.

"I guess I've neglected you," He commented as he finally took his attention off of Penelope. Seeing her occupied with pain in her semi-conscious state he decided that he wanted to show Derek that this wasn't all about the woman in the room.

He gave Derek no time to acknowledge what was happen; he just unleashed a brutal beating. His anger showing more and move by the second. He didn't relent on the kicks or the hits he administered to Derek's body, he just threw hit after hit.

Derek knew he would take the hits, rather than see this happen to Penelope.

However, that didn't seem to be the case as Penelope flung herself onto the man, regardless of her injuries. She just wrapped her arms around the man's neck and fought him. The man didn't take too kindly to this and reacted fast.

Grapping her wrists, Derek could only guess he was trying to break them to get her to respond to his will. Angered all the more, Derek watched as Penelope was thrown back to the other side of the wall, impacting with it only to slump to ground.

"You do that again, little girl, and I'll make sure I break your fucking legs so you never walk again!" The man literally bellowed at Penelope's unmoved form and then turned back to face Derek as he literally went ballistic again his constant restraints. "What have you got to say?" He asked as he stalked his way back to Derek and tore the gag from the man's mouth.

"You fucking bastard! When I get out of this I will kill you!" Derek spat out, his mouth completely dry, his anger sticking in his throat as it crept up like venom. "You signed your death warrant the moment you laid a hand on her!"

"You're going to what, Derek?" The unknown man asked back with the upmost glee. "Kill me? I could _kill her_ and leave you there, like you are right now, for you to watch her rot away." He snickered evilly, "I could do so much and you wouldn't get a chance to touch me." He continued and laughed again as Derek jumped at him, only to fall back at the pressure of the chains, "I will torture her and do what the fuck I like and when I get Jennifer here and maybe Emily then I'd do the same with the others of your team watching from the same position as you."

"They'll kill you before you even get a chance!"

He laughed again at Derek's obliviousness, "I pretty much killed JJ and Aaron earlier. Shame they're a little too resilient otherwise JJ would be here with you too."

"Liar!" Derek spat back, "You wouldn't have had a chance. Between getting me and Pen and then-"

"You really think it was me that got you here?" He asked as he interjected Derek's sentence, "I'm not alone in this. I'm not stupid. You and Penelope were the easiest option last night. Emily and Dave were still in the bar with Spencer so we cancelled them out and followed you two. Then I got a heads up that JJ and Aaron left together and the rest is history." He told Derek with absolute glee. "For now, I'll let you rest," He finalised and turned his back on Derek's yelling.

Derek and Penelope were left alone, the sounds of the man's gleeful laughter echoing out behind him. When that resided, it was just the stillness of the room and their beating hearts to fill their hearing.

Groaning, Penelope blinked a couple of times to adjust back to reality and she realised she felt like someone had trampled her skull and ripped out her carotid artery. She couldn't stifle a moan of pain as she brought her arm up to stop the bleeding that she could feel washing over her shoulder. Pushing a hand on her open wound, she pushed herself up with a grunt and collapsed against the wall.

"Pen," Derek called out to her, his body a low thrum of pain from the beginning he had received. His main concern was Penelope and he was worried about the damage he had seen already enacted.

Penelope looked at Derek wildly, "I don't want you to be nice to me now, Derek." She told him and her eyes watered for an entirely different reason. She was struggling with being here in the bowels of hell and with Derek. "Just be-because we're he-here in whatever this is. It doesn't make us okay." She began to sob as the last fortnight suddenly hit her full throttle and she realised how much she had missed her best friend – and with it her heart. "W-We're not-t okay."

"I'm sorry, Baby," Derek told her truthfully and he wished he could get to her, to wrap his arms around her, but then he wondered if the distance that he was being made to keep was one of their saving graces. He knew getting back on track was not a simple and easy move, it was going to take time, but he was going to make sure that Penelope knew exactly why he had reacted the way he had.

"I never meant to humiliate you that night, but you assumed that was my only reason and ever since you just shut me down," Penelope remarked and couldn't hide the hurt that she still carried from that night.

"We need to talk about this," Derek told her forcefully as his instant reaction. "I need you to know some things."

Penelope bit her lip as her headache increased and the idea of being trampled on spun into the idea that she had taken on a high flying train and lost – multiple times. "Not right now, I just want to sleep."

He knew letting her sleep wasn't a good idea, especially after he had seen her head connect with the ground, but Penelope was her own force and she had decided that that decision was final.

Sighing, he slumped back down, the chains going lank as they crashed to the floor. He wasn't sleeping tonight, he was keeping watch over his baby girl and he was going to force himself to exact a fool proof plan to get them out of this.

Even when the lights shut off, his eyes remained in exactly the same spot.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"I'm fine," JJ told them as she shook of their attention. She slid down onto one of the chairs in the conference room, never noticing how uncomfortable they were before. She guessed that unlike before she had never been a mess of bruises from a car crash.

"What do we know?" Hotch asked as he stood in his normal stoic position, his arms crossed him, his spot still near enough to JJ to keep her in close range.

"Strauss received this an hour ago," Emily commented and pushed a bagged letter across the table toward Hotch and JJ. "Spencer already looked it over and thinks we're dealing with a dominant male, no signs of sexual behaviour, but he is showing signs of escalating anger"

Reid cleared his throat for a moment, "From the way his penmanship is heavily pressed it shows he has intense anger as it is, but what he writes about shows how willing he is to use it as a weapon and to deliver punishment. When someone writes, it's their ego becoming the most active than ever before. Our Unsub is telling us what we want to hear and it seems he is almost setting up his game. He wants us to play."

"What are the stains all over the letter?" Hotch asked as he observed the paperwork before him.

"It's whiskey," Rossi spoke up, "And it's fresh. Which indicates that he's a drinker."

"If he gets drunk often enough though, surely his prone to mistakes. He will slip up," JJ interjected quickly, her hope gather.

Reid shook his head in disagreement. "That is unless he has a dissociative disorder," Reid pointed out with slick concern. "If this is the case, when he drinks..."

"Another personality comes out," JJ continued on, her voice lacking any enthusiasm to this being an easy case to crack.

JJ snatched the letter up and finally began to read with Hotch reading over her shoulder. She couldn't stop her shaking hands and she could only resent the tears that pooled in her eyes as she read the script of what was to happen.

_BAU team, we meet at last!_

_You don't know me, but I know you all very well. Aaron Hotchner, the leader, the one that saved the lovely Jennifer Jareau from my clutches. Then we have David Rossi, who is besotted with the gorgeous Emily Prentiss and finally we have Spencer Reid, the genius of you all. The only reason you final three didn't get an invitation to the party was because you stayed in that damn club. Had it been anyone else but Penelope to walk out first then you would be in her pretty predicament rather than her._

_I don't want anything from your team, Aaron. Just its defamation. I have for a while and let's just say when one soldier falls in a platoon, the rest are sure to follow. You think you're formidable, but you couldn't stop my brother and in turn my life got ruined because you made it so public. You ruined his life, and killed him when really you were after me all along. You killed an innocent person and for what? Nothing. _

_Hey! That's a story I'll save for another day mind you._

_Derek and Penelope are okay as a can be. Penelope, the poor love, has hit her head quite a few times since being here and let's say she tastes mighty good. Derek, on the other hand, has quite the level of stamina! Takes a beating and is still standing – well kinder!_

_My main concern is JJ. I hope I didn't hurt you too much, Jennifer! Well, scratch that, I do hope I hurt you and I hope to hurt you lot more in the future. I will get my sweet, sweet Jennifer one day. Not all the FBI agents in the world can stop that from happening let me tell you that now._

_However, I'll let you know how Derek and Penelope are keeping in my company, but only on my terms – Not yours, mine._

_Speak to you soon. You never know I might send you a souvenir of my time with Penelope and Derek._

JJ looked up at the team, "Why do I feel like this letter was aimed at me?"

"JJ," Emily started sympathetically, "He is after you now and we can't run the risk of him managing to get to you."

"I'll stay with her," Hotch demanded as an almost instant reaction. "I can protect her as much as any of you and he expects us together. I know what he looks like, I'll know him if he comes for either of us. If you three stick together when we are outside of the bureau then he might feel threatened by three of you."

"I can take care of myself," JJ fought back, she knew she could. She wasn't some weak woman. "I just need to know that Henry is going to be safe."

"We can get a watch set up," Rossi indicated to her, knowing that Henry was a bigger importance than her own life.

JJ ran a hand over her forehead, "I'll ring Will and tell him to keep him with him and to stay inside. Just in case." There was a moment of thoughtful silence. "What do we do now?" JJ asked as she stood up gingerly and grabbed her cell from her pocket as she went.

"We back track and go and tell Lynch to hurry up with getting CCTV from the bar," Hotch ordered and knew they were working against a clock even if the Unsub hadn't given them one.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	4. Everything Gets Heated

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_Update time, sorry about the space between updating! Life is not cool right now! However, thank you immensely and enjoy!_

_This is definitely M... torture and smut (not induced by torture, but the good kind! Or so I hope!)_

_Oh! And... Happy Easter everyone!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Do we get a name?" Derek asked as he tried to prolong the wait for whatever torture was just on the cusp of delivery. He had watched the unknown man set his new game up and he knew he couldn't get free to stop it.

"Andrew," The man grunted as continued on, not looking to Derek as he offered the answer. He remained quiet and focused as he stood and still said nothing as he went over to Penelope, looked down at her before he put his feet either side of her. He didn't need words to invoke pure fear in her, he just had to look down at Penelope and smile – which he did and he saw the fear ignite. "Fun time, Penelope," He told her and dropped down on top of her. Trapping her body beneath him once more, her arms trapped by her side with his vice like grip formed by his legs.

"Please," She whimpered as she watched him heat the branding iron in his hand and then looked past it and up to him. "Please," She asked him again in an almost inaudible whisper.

"Hey, why not me first!" Derek fought back as he watched Penelope struggle once more.

"This is my game," Andrew told Derek honestly and looked down at Penelope as she squirmed to get away from her fate continually begging with him. He took the lighter off, now satisfied that he had kept the heat at its maximum and then his face twisted with glee as he set to work. "Pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations," Andrew said as he pressed the branding iron into Penelope's neck wound and watched her initial act of bravery fail. "Most times, pain persists despite the removal of the stimulus, but sometimes" He taunted her and lifted the red hot iron out of the wound, "Pain happens once we remove the stimuli," He told her and listened to as her scream of pain was so strangled it was haunting. He knew right now, the pain was flooding her system and he was getting too much enjoyment out of watching it.

He turned to face the man in the corner as he did his usual and helplessly fought his confines to break free and kill the man before him. If there was one thing Andrew knew about this game, it was that he loved having control of the moment and that was exactly how it would end too.

He looked over at Derek, "I only do her first every time to stop her from stepping in and preventing me getting you. I don't find it very fair to keep a woman tied up unless for sexual gain anyway." Andrew's smile twitched a little as the sadistic thoughts came into his mind. "Let's just say we haven't met that part of this game plan just yet."

"You won't get a fucking chance to touch her like that!" Derek spat at him, "I will kill you!"

Getting his zippo lighter out of his pocket, Andrew sniggered at that thought as he watched the flame. Taking the small iron he covered it with flame, the blood burning immediately, allowing the smell of burning copper to fill his nostrils. It had an almost euphoric effect; the rushed endorphins throughout his system and inspired him to become more addicted to the game.

His game.

Derek's mistake came as he looked to Penelope as she lay crying in pain. As he looked, Andrew took the opportunity to take the semi-heated iron and press into his chest making his nerves come alive and his body feel the burn as it came through his shirt. Andrew smirked as he saw the pain being blocked, but he knew one day soon he would see Derek in nothing but pain and he knew that wouldn't be because of any physical injury. Andrew knew his key to Derek's downfall was Penelope, and Penelope's was his and her inability to withhold from the pain.

Derek couldn't withhold the hiss of pain that he felt as the heat ripped into his skin, taking on layer by layer as Andrew pushed in deeper and deeper. Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the pain, but he couldn't. It became harder when Andrew brought the lighter to the metal and lit it enough to induce more heat whilst still pressed to Derek's chest. The smell of burning flesh filtered into the air of the confined space even more and Derek felt himself gag a little. It was more a knee jerk reaction that he was completely helpless here.

"Please," Penelope shouted out weakly as her eyes saw Derek in pain and it hurt her more than any of Andrew's torture. "Leave him alone."

Andrew, having heard Penelope's plea relented and stood up and moved away from Derek, looking at the now burnt shirt as it sat scorched into his chest. He walked over to Penelope as she sat slumped against the wall and stared up at him with terror.

He didn't say a word; he just left the pair to nurse themselves.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Weakness of Hate -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

It was later that night, as silence settled in and all hope seemed to be disappearing that Penelope realised she needed her best friend, her Boo, her Baby Boy. She needed her Derek back. She wanted nothing more than to crawl over to him and feel some form of comfort in this horribly cold place. She was chilled to the bone, just enough to make her teeth chatter and her body shake, but not enough for her to be numb and void of all pain.

"I was jealous," Penelope admitted softly as the night trickled in. "That's why I did what I did that night. I was so sick and tired of being jealous of all the girls that get you and what did I achieve?" She looked at him in the moonlit room as tears began their trails and dragged down her face taking the blood and dirt with them. "Losing a best friend isn't an achievement to brag about."

"You never lost me," Derek responded to her.

Scoffing in disbelief, Penelope put her head back to the wall, "Got me mighty fooled."

Derek sighed, "My ego was wounded, my pride took a fall and I don't deal well with that and when I don't deal I-"

"You closed me out," Penelope finished for him solemnly. "You had every right to, but it didn't stop it from hurting me."

"I'm a profiler, I should've seen it. I should have seen that you did it because you were in love with me," He admitted and saw her eyes flare open in shock, her mouth fall a little. "I've been thinking it over a lot, Baby, and when I'm not left to my own devices I have Emily twittering in my ear about how much of a fool I am to have missed the tell tale signs. It shouldn't have taken this long to admit it."

"But it did," Penelope declared softly.

"I was coming to you," Derek told her honestly. "The other night, I was coming to you to apologise, to make things right and tell you that I am in love with you too, but things didn't quite go according to plan."

Penelope closed her eyes as she thought about this for a moment. "Promise me one thing?" She asked him as she realised she couldn't ask for everything.

"What's that?" Derek asked back.

"You kill him," Penelope whispered to him.

Derek let out a gruff growl, "Already decided on that one, Princess."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Weakness of Hate -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"How you feeling?" Hotch asked as he guided JJ into his house, surveying all areas to make sure no one was hiding out, laying in wait for them to let their guard down enough for an ambush.

"I'm okay," JJ said and faltered instantly. She was tired, and aching, and now the fear of Christ was slowly taking over her every sense. "We're going to get them back right?"

Hotch immediately moved in, hating to see her cry. "Of course we are. We won't let him win this," Hotch told her sternly. "We won't stop until we've brought this guy down and have Morgan and Garcia back with us."

"I want them back now," JJ told him in a small sob. "I just hate the idea of someone hurting them, especially Pen. I mean Morgan can cope to some extent, but Pen, she's not trained for this."

"Hey, hey, hey I know," Hotch calmed her as he saw where she was going with this. "He will look after her."

"He hates her," JJ scoffed slowly.

Hotch shook his head, "His living on protecting his male pride. He loves her far too much to let her get hurt without his threat. This is _Morgan_, he would rather die than let someone willingly hurt Penelope."

"I know," She relented, because under her temporarily irrational mind she knew Derek loved Penelope enough to protect her – if he could. She needed Hotch's rational mind to bring her back down to earth. "I know that, I do." She then ran a hand over her face, "I'm just tired and, I guess I'm scared."

"C'mon," He said and put his hand to her. "We need to get some sleep. You'll feel better after some rest."

Instinctively, JJ followed Hotch through to what had to be his room and she didn't question it. She needed him, and without prejudice she was just praying that she wouldn't be left alone tonight. She knew he was making her shower before getting some rest, but she was hoping that he was sticking around and wasn't taking another room.

Except she never said anything to him. She was still shocked from her downfall and so she allowed him to be the first to speak.

"Did you mean it?" Hotch asked as she went to go to the bathroom. When she looked at him silently, he guessed the worst. "Go get yourself sorted," He commanded her gently, guessing it was the fear of the moment that made her admit that to him.

JJ stood and saw the defeated man and she felt the familiar thrum in her heart. It eclipsed all physical pain she was in and made her forget for a second only that two of their closest friends were in danger. She needed this man to know that she meant to tell him she was in love with him.

Without a word, she dropped her jacket from her shoulders and then allowed it to drop down her arms so it landed softly on the floor. Then she started to undo the buttons on her dirtied blouse and kept her eyes fixed on him.

Walking towards him, she undid her pants and walked out of them so that she would come to stand in front of him in just her underwear. "I didn't mean to tell you that _then_," She started softly, "But I needed you to know, Aaron and I feel like at the moment, we're just running out of time."

"We've got all the time in the world," He fought back as his hands came up to grab her around her slender waist. He pulled her down to his lap, one hand letting go so it could come up to cup her face.

"We don't," She denied him as she closed her eyes. "We shouldn't even be like this."

Hotch looked at her confused, "Why not?"

"Beth," She whispered back at him and then went to leave him, but he kept a grasp on her so she couldn't move away. "You chose her."

"I didn't have another choice," Hotch told JJ honestly. "I never thought you liked me like that. I just felt it was one sided especially as every opportunity we had was wasted. I just-"

"You thought wrong, Aaron," JJ told him and smiled. "We're a pair. It takes us nearly dying to realise this."

He smiled back and brought her face down towards his, "We'll get them back." He vowed to her heavily and then kissed to her.

Immediately JJ could feel how different this was to what she had seen when he kissed Beth. This was more passionate, less like the hard exterior Aaron Hotchner wore. This kiss told her more than words ever could and this kiss was the one that told her that she was now his choice for eternity.

Hotch pushed her down, and she let herself slip into the clear awareness that this was happening – regardless of what chaos was breaking out across their world right now, JJ didn't care and it seemed, from his part – as he rolled her over so she was under him - that Hotch didn't mind either.

Both respected that times were harsh, but neither could deny one another any longer and neither could stop this moment from going up a level. When the touches began leaving sensual tingles and both their bodies began to beg for one another they caved and Hotch allowed JJ to loosen his tie and start to undo his shirt.

"Is this," Hotch started between kisses, "what you want?"

"Lose those," JJ stated as she undid his pants and pushed down on the waistband of both those and his boxers with eager behaviour, "And it will be."

As Hotch stood enough to lose his clothing, he watched as JJ slid up the bed a little and unhooked her bra. It was now he was able to see the damage from the car crash and he couldn't believe that they went from that to this in such a short space of time.

However, he knew things like this were left to just happen, and neither one of them were forcing this.

"I'm not that hurt," She told him without a lie. Her headache had conceded, and having him and his loving made every ache leave her body. "I want this."

Hotch felt his lips twitch with a grin and he climbed onto the bed and straggled her again, kissing her in the same heated passion that had moved them to this point. He slipped his hand down her body as her roamed his and he felt how wet she was so made quick work to remove her panties. He never, in a billion years, imagined this to happen, but now it was and everything was happening so perfectly.

"Aaron," JJ gasped as she felt his fingers graze her clit and the sensation hit her with a throb. She didn't want to move this alone hastily, but she couldn't help it. Her body yearned for him like it had for no other man and she didn't want to wait any longer. "Please."

He moved his hand and readied his full erect penis. Everything about JJ turned him on: the way she watched him, the way she licked her lips in want, the feel of her hands as they ran across his skin. It was everything about JJ that captivated him and he knew one thing now - He couldn't deny her this any longer.

The feel of wholeness was immediate as he plunged deep within her moist walls and he felt her nails claw into his back as he rocked back and forth, harder and faster. He knew when life was settled he would explore every inch of her body, kiss every surface he could, taste everything about her, but for now, he was feeling complete and from JJ's reactions she was feeling the same.

Their bodies mirrored one another's, they could both feel the climax coming and neither caved easily, both craving more of the other as they found this newer, more exciting discovery of each other's bodies. This newer exploration was one that they wanted to keep and one that they hoped would last long enough to create something amazing.

As they fell down sated next to one another, Hotch felt the yearn to let JJ know how he viewed their change in the relationship. "This isn't just something that happened because of what's going on," Hotch said as he kissed down onto JJ's head. "Jennifer, I want you to know, need you to know that it's only you I want."

JJ smiled and snuggled down, "It's only you I want too." As she finished she ran her hand up his body and rested it on his chest and sighed happily. "We better sleep," She told him softly, "We gotta be back in the office in six hours."

It was later that night that JJ lay wide awake, her head against Hotch's chest as her thoughts swum to what Penelope and Derek were going through, what this bastard was subjecting them too. She thought to how they had come to hate one another and now they were thrust back together and it was as though fate had a divine plan to get them all together.

Getting up she quickly adorned the pyjamas from her go bag. She needed a quick drink and then needed to get to sleep. She wanted nothing more than to get the team back and to get Penelope and Derek to accept the reality of why they came to hate one another. JJ knew as she walked through Hotch's house that all she wanted was their semblance of family back as one.

JJ took a sip of her water as she looked out of the kitchen window. She felt safe in this house, knowing that she was going straight back to the man she really did love.

That was until familiar arms wrap around her waist and the glass of water was smashing down around her feet.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Weakness of Hate -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	5. Taking Power

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_Another update, guys! You get to find out who's arms are wrapped around our JJ ;) Hope you continue to enjoy!_

_Rating M remains..._

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Dropping the glass, JJ felt the moisture pool around her feet, the water managing to get under her feet and between her toes. She smiled as she felt Hotch kiss the side of her neck longingly.

"I need to clear up," JJ commented as she took in Hotch's scent. "I might cut myself."

Hotch defied her, "As long as you don't move you won't get hurt."

"Then we'll never move far," JJ responded with a smirk as she felt him dot kisses down her neck and she realised that the love of this man felt like no other love she had felt and she wanted to cherish it forever.

"I'm okay standing here," Hotch breathed as he paused his kissing triad for a moment. He breathed, his breath hitting her skin in its heated exhale, he actually could remain here forever.

"I never had you down as one of the most incorrigible men of the team, Aaron," JJ scolded him lightly as he kissed into her neck a little more.

"Oh really?" He asked her with a keen smirk.

JJ laughed, "Okay, that's a lie." She laughed and then felt him scoop her up in his arms. As she settled in his arms she looked at him and kissed him, "We need to clean up."

"It can wait," He told her as he took her back upstairs. "You need some more sleep before we have to rush back. Rossi called, they have no development or any leads, but he said we needed to rest up after the crash. He's pulling rank this time around."

"We should be there," JJ fretted as she realised her mind was becoming more and more consumed with the predicaments in which Derek and Penelope were probably faced with.

"We'll go there first thing in the morning," Hotch promised her as he settled her down onto his bed again. "If there's no leads then we're working on thin air and if we all tire out then we aren't doing Penelope or Morgan an ounce of good."

"I guess you're right," JJ responded as she watched him stalk around the bed and then lay down with her. She closed her eyes the moment he pulled her close willing for sleep that never came.

Hours later, JJ turned over and looked at Hotch, it was barely breaking dawn outside and she hadn't slept at all. She smiled as he looked over to her, his expression showing he was just as awake as she was.

"What do we do now?" JJ asked Hotch as she realised sleep wasn't an option now. She couldn't stop herself thoughts from taking a new route as she pondered on how everything was going to plan out. Who would be the next target? How hurt would they all would wind up? Were Penelope and Derek even alive? Were they being watched right now?

Her doubts were like a swarm, but Hotch's voice fought them all off.

"We get you some stuff from yours, and we get Morgan and Penelope home," Hotch told her sternly. He wasn't having her stay on her own anymore, and even after this case was sorted, she wasn't ever going to doubt his love and she would never feel jealous again.

JJ appreciated Hotch's affectionate boss like demeanour.

He meant business.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"I miss him," JJ said as she stood in Henry's room. She had felt Hotch's presence behind her and she was weakening at the thought of her little boy being with his father and only his father.

"You'll get him back with you before you know it, Jayje," Hotch promised her gently as he came to stand beside her. "Call them back if it helps? Just to hear his voice."

"I'll ring back when we get into work," JJ countered and turned to face Hotch. "Gives them time to get up and gives Will time to get him breakfast." She smiled wistfully at the mere thought of breakfast time with her son. Will hadn't been happy when she had woken him and he didn't seem to be all too pleased when she said what they were dealing with.

He nodded his approval.

"Where's Jack been?" She asked Hotch suddenly. She had questioned it mentally a couple of times, but her mind had always been quickly distracted.

"He's with Jess, I rang and asked her if she minded having him a couple of days just until we know what's going on here and I know we have no threat. He lives near it enough with me as a father, I don't want to make it worse," Hotch confided in her, offering her a small smile.

"You're an amazing dad, Aaron," JJ said as she looked at him. "One of the best."

"Sometimes I can't help but judge that status," Hotch admitted sadly. "But I try and make this life better."

"You're a good man," JJ told him as her hand came up to cup his face affectionately, "And a good father. You never let that little boy miss out on a thing and you never will. You love him too much."

Hotch smiled, covering her hand he kissed it before lowering it, "We'll get you back with Henry soon. Was Will okay?"

"As okay as he ever is," JJ rolled her eyes a little. "He thought I was putting the job first until I told him everything that had happened and he started to panic. Makes me wonder if he still does love me under all the hate. That or his good at being amicable."

"He still loves you," Hotch told her honestly. "He wouldn't have left if he didn't. Haley left and she still loved me. He ran so he didn't have to get hurt when the job really did take over. He took an easy escape."

"Just because he may or may not love me doesn't mean I love him," JJ quickly told Hotch as she felt like the change in their relationship had just suddenly shifted and was threatened already.

"I know," Hotch told her sincerely. Even though this was fresh, he didn't want to see this end any time soon. "We better get going. I've taken a few of your bags out, but you want to get some of Henry's stuff together and we'll go to work?"

JJ nodded and started to look around Henry's room for things she would need. _Crap!_ Her mind screamed as she realised that everything was still waiting in the laundry pile she had made just before she had run out of the door days earlier.

"It's all downstairs," Jennifer muttered and put her hands on her head as she felt the pressure of everything all over again. This time she wanted Penelope back here, so she could tell her everything that had happened in the course of one night.

"Change into some clean clothes, Jennifer," Hotch told her as he hatched a plan in his mind. "I'll go downstairs and grab some stuff out of the laundry. We can wash it later." He left her be in Henry's room and went downstairs.

_Great time to start a relationship, Aaron!_ He scolded himself as he took each new step. He couldn't deny that fate had an uncanny way of opening your eyes and he had had his more than opened. He had his whole life thrust upon him and in all of it the one thing he regretted was never telling JJ what he had kept hidden for years.

Rushing through to the side room on the kitchen, Hotch bundled as many clothes into a bag and took them outside to add to the others already in his SUV. Walking back in he watched JJ coming down the stairs in jeans and a vest, a cardigan holding her tightly, her hair drawn up. He smiled at her and went to get more bags, but stopped.

"Aaron?" JJ called out as she came to the foot of the stairs. She had watched him walk backwards and stop by one of the cabinets.

"Jen, get out," Hotch said the moment he saw the clock ticking down on the device. He saw her with bags as she stood completely frozen to her spot. "Get out now! This place is rigged!"

"Wh-what?" JJ asked him in complete disbelief.

"Go," He said as he ran towards her, pushing her out of the door and out of the house as quickly as he could. Hotch didn't know if it was a trick or he had seen something that wasn't really there, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Someone was after the team and they had to be extra vigilant to everything now. They had to look over their shoulders just to be sure that the only people following them were the people on their teams.

There was one concern in Hotch's life right at that moment – getting JJ out of the house before anything were to happen.

It all happened so fast - one moment it was silent, she was running and the next the sound of an explosion ripped through the air and a wave of intense force and heat hit hers and Hotch's bodies and sent them both falling to the ground.

The alarm of Hotch's SUV sounded out into her head as she gathered her bearings and she wasn't shocked at all to realise that her body wasn't responding quite yet. Her ears were ringing with the familiarity of an explosion and her body was a thrum of exasperated pain.

She was thankful when Hotch came and picked her up. She smiled gratefully, but as she looked up at him she realised the man holding her was nothing like Hotch at all. His grin wasn't affectionate, or coy, it was menacing and full of intent and evil. Immediately she began to struggle and just as she fought she was free he held a tighter grip on her. Something more than she had expected around to clasp around her aching body.

As she was pushed into the van she saw Hotch's unmoving body and her heart stopped.

Even more so when she was grabbed from behind and all went black.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope was yanked from her weak sleep. She was resting from the last round of Andrew's game and now she was picked up by her left hand and flung to ground across the room. She knew Andrew liked to wake them up differently – punching, kicking, dousing them in water – but this was by far the worse.

Laying on the floor, Penelope tried to gather some hardiness, she tried to collect some power, but it didn't work, not when she felt a pain rip right through her shoulder blades. The force wasn't enough to push her back to the cold floor; it was more the intensity of the pain that split between her shoulders that did it.

Andrew didn't need words, he just had to do one piece of torture and they knew he was here for fun and he would be here for a long time if he so wanted to be. He was angered at the impossibility to get any other members of the BAU. He had three of them, but three wasn't merely enough in his eyes. After starving and torturing two of them for almost four days he expected to be nearing a complete set. Except he wasn't even halfway and that did nothing to improve his mood or lighten up on the pain he caused Penelope.

Penelope whimpered, but refused to scream out this time round, but as she felt the thin whip rip into her back, she felt her strength disperse and she fell flat against the floor. As she tried to get back up the next lashing came again. All she wanted to do was scream or cry or both, but she was too exhausted to give Andrew what he desired from her.

Derek yanked and pulled and fought against the chains again. He was surprised to know that he wasn't foaming at the mouth with the amount of rage emitting him. He was so done with seeing Penelope's torture. The first round was enough, but this now was just turning barbaric and it was only adding to the multiple ways in which he would kill Andrew off when he had the chance to pounce.

Having been sure Andrew was done for the night, Derek hadn't expected this and it didn't take away from the fact that he would happily wrap the whip around Andrew's neck and watch the life leave his eyes second by second.

He heard it as Andrew just chuckled; he was getting the desired effects. Penelope's stamina was dying more and more and Derek was just getting more riled by the day. Exactly how Andrew had wanted it to be.

He watched as Penelope ended up curling into a protective ball and he felt a sudden wave of anger as he watched her. Here she was unable to take what he was offering and his blood boiled. He rose the whip and brought it down on her side repetitively, aggressively tearing apart her arm.

Pausing, his chest heaved with the exertion. He was enraged and he was ready to get her to look at him. If she wasn't going to fall beneath the power of his actions then he wanted to see her face. Laying on her side like she were, didn't allow for either.

After a few more attempts he kicked her hard to get her to move, but she remained where she was.

Andrew turned around to Derek silently and flicked his wrist so that the wipe caught Derek directly across his throat. Hearing his hiss of pain, Andrew took a few necessary steps across the room and rose his arm, bringing it down with a flick, he made the whip make contact with Derek's body, ripping into his flesh and tearing at the t-shirt.

Derek's stamina – unlike Penelope's – didn't dwindle. He just smirked at Andrew. He would take this torture if it meant that Penelope was saved some of it.

Having noticed Derek's behaviour, Andrew brought the whip to his side in simple defeat. He looked at the unmoved Penelope and turned back to Derek.

"Miss Jennifer will be joining you guys tomorrow," Andrew said with absolute merriment. His smile triple what it usually was. "Get some rest the pair of you. Tomorrow we might actually let you out Derek."

Andrew stomped his way out of the room unimpressed. Tomorrow he would try harder to get Penelope to scream out against his will. That was a noise that he needed to hear from Jennifer as well and he would hear it – whatever it took.

"He's gone, Goddess," Derek called out as he watched Penelope still remain in her little protective bubble. He had no doubt that her mind wasn't here anymore, that she had transported herself to another universe just as a coping mechanism. "Penelope," He called out to her again.

He heard her cries before he saw any movement.

"Penelope," He called out, his heart breaking at hearing her sob in pain. "Please look at me."

"It hurts," Penelope sobbed deeply as she tried to move even just an inch to loosen up.

"Just listen to me," Derek told her. "I can't do anything from here, but I need you to come here, Baby Girl. I need you to let me look after you the best I can. For me to do that I need you just make the little distance and get over here."

He smiled as he watched her weakly get onto her hands and knees. He felt a shot of pride as she pulled herself together enough to listen to him and trust him again.

"That's it," He coached her as she paused for a moment to soothe her pains in her body. He wasn't going to her struggle with this; he was going to be with her every step of the way.

"I can't," Penelope breathed heavily as she felt herself struggle. She knew it was ridiculous, the space separately them was no more than a seven steps, but with her body having been under the torment of Andrew, it might as well have been seven miles.

"C'mon, Baby," Derek coached her. "You're almost here. You can do it," He empowered her to make the last final steps, to just make it to him so that he could offer some form of solace throughout another night.

The moment she was there, she fell down unable to move anymore with her spent body.

Derek just pulled Penelope onto his lap and looked down at her as she stared forward, shaking with all the pains. He made a silent vow as the lights shut off.

Game time was over – for now.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	6. Watching The Fallen

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_So we're getting quite far with this now... Enjoy so more torture..._

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Up!" Andrew said as he kicked Penelope. "I want you standing, Penelope."

He watched her struggle and he bent down and grabbed her arm, yanking it so harshly that she yelped in pain. He had no time to waste, his mole had told him how the team were doing and he wanted to up the stakes and really start to have some fun.

Near enough dragging Penelope, he threw her a little so she was just in front of him and he watched her stumble uneasily. He knew if she surpassed today he might actually give them something to quench their first properly. Not because he was becoming soft, but more because he didn't want them passing out from dehydration before he really had his fun.

He knew he was greedy with his punishment, but in this business you had to be.

"You have one job to do today," Andrew began with a smirk. "One request that you have to maintain through today and keep it going until this time tomorrow."

"Wh-what?" Penelope asked nervously as she was taken back to the spot in which she had woken on. She looked down and only now noticed the white outline of a square.

"Your job is to stand here, in this square and not move," Andrew guided her, "You do that and no one gets really hurt."

"You can't make her do that!" Derek shouted out at Andrew. "She doesn't have enough strength to do that."

"That's her problem now, Derek," Andrew shouted back and turned to Penelope. "Your time starts now, Penelope. I have to go get our third guest."

Looking at the closing door, Penelope felt her heartbeat begin to rapidly pick up in pace. This was it, she had to prove herself now or else face the consequences, and what might those be? Another piece of her ripped out from between Andrew's closed jaws, another whipping, maybe this time he might actually mutilate her, maybe he migh-

"Pen," Derek called out to her, cutting right into her train of thought. He watched her look to him completely terrified and weakening by the strain of her new task. "You can do this, Gorgeous. I have faith."

Penelope's lip quivered, "I'm so tired, Derek. I won't last."

"You will," Derek told her as he watched her concerns over this. "And if you can't then you look to me, okay, Baby Girl?"

Nodding Penelope let the tears fall, "I just want to be home."

Derek closed his eyes to that. For once he couldn't give Penelope what she wanted, he couldn't ease the pain she was in and he couldn't save her. He had never felt so weak in his entire life and he hated feeling this helpless.

He went to speak, to try and ease Penelope and coerce her into staying strong, but the door flung open.

Both Derek and Penelope watched as Andrew threw down a new form. One that was bound, gagged and blindfolded. Neither wanted to place JJ's identity with the new victim to this hell. However, it was glaringly obvious that it was JJ and only JJ that had now joined them.

Watching the pair, Derek felt the familiarity of anger filter his system as he observed Andrew's tentative behaviour with JJ, who squirmed away from the unknown perpetrator whose touches were all over her body, whose voice was filling her ears as he spoke in quiet tone.

Derek knew this was about JJ now. The Unsub had found his main obsession in his grand master plan. They were just collateral damage.

When Andrew had came back in minutes earlier, Penelope thought she was doing a good job at getting passed the pain in her body, but she couldn't deny that everything Andrew had pushed upon her body and the starvation was taking its toll. She refused to fall, she needed to stay standing, but when her legs buckled underneath her she knew her strength was deteriorating a lot faster than she had ever thought.

Andrew spun around from grabbing JJ and looked at Penelope as she lay in a weakened heap on the floor. His anger shooting into overdrive all over again.

"You failed Penelope!" Andrew bellowed disappointedly and pulled the gun from the back of his waist band. He looked to JJ who was trying to fight against her bindings, but was failing. He knew not to go for her. He wanted to wait for the moment when he would take the blindfold off so her head would feel like it was going to become explosive with the influx of light.

With that thought, he went for Derek.

"See what your precious Baby Girl just did there?" Andrew spat at Derek. He was trying to make Derek see Penelope's fault and hate her for what was about to come. "She just helped arrange your death sentence, Derek. Miss Penelope Garcia just literally put the bullet from this gun into your head," He commented as he waved the fun around. "By the way, I don't do last words," He said as he cocked the small hand gun and smirked at how good this was going to feel.

Looking over as she listened to Andrew, she saw the gun pointed at Derek's head and fear overrode her entire being. The thought of him dying was enough to kill her outright and if it was because of her inability to do one task she would never forgive herself.

"Don't. I'm sorry!" Penelope cried as she used the wall to get to her feet weakly. "I'm sorry, please. Give me another chance. Please," Penelope began to sob, "Please don't kill him. Please."

Derek closed his eyes as he listened to her beg. He hated to hear her speak with such despair, but his heart beat faster as he realised that she loved him enough that she would put herself through more pain just to see him live.

"I can do better!" She promised out loud and stood regardless of her screaming legs. "Please," She sobbed, "Don't kill him because of me."

"Baby, it's fine," Derek told her to stop her from beating herself up. "It's fine, Baby, I mean that. You did nothing wrong."

"I let you down," Penelope sobbed at Derek as Andrew dropped the gun and stepped back and went towards Penelope. "Again."

"Isn't that sweet?" Andrew chided them and then helped Penelope stand up again. He then swiftly took the gun and pressed it to her neck, "Gonna promise me you're gonna stand there like a good girl?"

Penelope closed her eyes, "I promise."

"Open your eyes," Andrew forced her to open her eyes as he pressed the readied gun even more into her carotid, pulling on the wound he had already placed on that area. When she responded and he smiled and he leant in and kissed her jaw bone, "Sweet Penelope, you might be standing, but you disregarded my request the first time so we need up the ante. I don't do second chances most time, but for you I will."

"Wha-what do yo-you wan-want me to d-do?" She asked panicked.

Andrew chuckled and leaned in to whisper into her ear, "Every time you look away from what's going to happen today, I will hurt both of them a lot more and when I get another member of the team, I'll make sure they know it's your fault entirely that they'll leave here limbless."

Penelope couldn't stop the whimper that crawled up her throat alongside the sob.

"Do we have a deal or do I need to put a bullet in my main man over there?" He asked and pointed the gun at Derek, "Because I will."

"No," Penelope mumbled and took in a shaky breath, "I'll listen. I'll stand here an-and I'll watch, but please," She began to beg again. "Don't hurt them, please."

"That's not a part of the deal," Andrew said as he released his grip. "You stand and you watch and you might actually make it through the day without any more harm."

"Making her do this is causing her more harm," Derek grunted as he yanked once more at his restraint.

Andrew looked at Derek with a grin, "And I'm guessing this will hurt you," He trailed off as he looked back at Penelope and then, grabbing her jaw, he pushed her against the wall before kissing her so heavily she whimpered in disgust and pain.

He only released the kiss when Penelope bit him and he pulled back wiping the blood off of his cut lip, "Even days on and you're still feisty." He stepped back as she stood weakly against the wall and he watched Penelope. "Your job starts now, Penelope so stand up straight and watch."

Casting her gaze to Derek, she saw him give her direct eye contact – one full of courage and pride – and he smiled and she stood up straight, taking in a shuddering breath before doing as she was told and watching Andrew.

If he could easily pull a gun on Derek for her falling, then she didn't know what would happen if she looked away.

Now she allowed a new nightmare to take over.

Andrew moved JJ to the centre of the room, throwing her down to the rock hard flooring with force. He had placed her directly under the harsh light in the middle of the room and he dropped down onto her, he had to laugh at seeing her struggle.

JJ was still too stunned to do anything, everything her body had gone through in the last couple of days – the crash, the explosion, now this – was now having an impacting effect in making her body just one hot throb of pain. It was as his legs came to clamp on her waist, trapping her arms moving that fear took over and she had to panic.

The moment the blindfold was off and light penetrated her sight, JJ closed her eyes and willed the sharp pain to disappear, but between the disorientation and Andrew's will she wasn't having any such luck.

Backing handing her, he leaned in, "Open your eyes," He told her, the heat of his rank breath rolling over her face and filling her nose. "You look away and I'll make this harder."

Andrew looked up to Penelope and grinned, "Good girl for still watching, Penelope." He said with the utmost glee in his tone, "Bet you wish this was you still getting all of the attention like this."

Penelope could only gulp as she watched Andrew pull a knife out from his the back of his trousers and he wielded it delicately as he looked back to JJ. She could guess what was going to come of this and she wished her mind could dream up an escape and she wished that some fatal ailment would overcome Andrew and he would die.

Then she had an idea – what if she was to just charge at him? Element of surprise would mean he wouldn't expect it, but then again, he did have a knife. The chances of Penelope being able to move fast and avoid added injury were slim to none. She was barely able to stand as it were, let alone charge.

Now she felt like she had lost every ounce of hope there was.

Derek had been profiling Andrew more and more each time he was in here. It was more a way of distracting him from the pain residing in his stomach at the lack of food and the aches he was getting from being chained.

Selfishly, Derek was just pleased that someone was taking the brunt of Andrew's twisted games. He knew Penelope was getting weaker and weaker and he was worried at how much she would be able to take before she completely lost all of her sanity.

He knew he shouldn't be happy that JJ was being hurt, but to see Penelope catch a break empowered Derek to keep some control. Then his head snapped to see Penelope as she stood in her spot, she was biting her lip as the tears continued their torrent down her face as she watched everything that JJ was going through.

It was the sound of JJ's snigger that caught him off guard. In a quick succession, Andrew had already moved down JJ's body and was talking about nerve endings being the most reactive on the hip bone and in the groin. He had got knife happy too quick, but it seemed that JJ wasn't playing the victim as easily.

"What's up, Jennifer?" Andrew asked and removed the gag from JJ's mouth. "Well?"

"Do whatever you want to me," She almost challenged him, "I can take it." She had done it, because the one look she got of Penelope shot so much reverent anger through her system that she was going to start fighting back.

Andrew took that as a challenge and cut deeper into JJ's hip with his knife. He listened to her grit her teeth against the pain and as his slipped the knife under the layer of skin on her groin he knew he was getting closer and closer to the desired effect, but he still was satisfied entirely.

He was only satisfied as she screamed out.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"JJ," Hotch moaned as he came too. He felt the words on his tongue, feel them move past his dry lips but couldn't for the life of him hear them. Trying again, he broke into a cough and realised his throat was too dry for him to form a voice.

"Drink this," He heard a feminine voice say, but he couldn't help but resist. "It's water for God sake's, Aaron. It'll help," Came the voice again.

Hotch now finally opened his eyes, only now becoming aware that he had resisted coming back to reality until he heard familiarity. He was right to open his eyes as his sister-in-law stood beside him with the cup of water.

"Gonna drink this or do I need to wake up my little man to be the boss?" She asked Hotch with small smile as she looked down at Hotch's side. "He fell asleep there hours ago, I didn't have the heart to move him," Jess told Hotch with a warm smile. "It's the first time he's settled."

Hotch pushed himself up a little and reached for the glass, "What happened?" He asked as he drank a little and slowly became responsive to the bounding headache he had.

"A house exploded, you were knocked unconscious," Jessica told him as she nervously wrangled her hands together. "You had a massive head contusion, they weren't sure what brain damage occurred, but this is the first time you've woken up since bringing you in, Aaron."

"How long's that?" He asked confusion.

"Nearly twenty four hours," She told him and couldn't stop the worry from escaping in her tone.

Hotch felt panic rise in him like bile, "JJ?" He asked and quickly pushed himself up even more. "I need to find JJ."

Jess stood up and pushed him back down to the bed, "Your team are working double time trying to find her and the other two," She calmed him, "But you need to rest." She looked down at Jack as he moved in his sleep after his father's movements disrupted him. "Jack needs you to get better."

"You're right," Hotch said as he looked down at his son as he slept away oblivious to the chaos that was befalling them all.

"What else is bugging you apart from the obvious?" Jess asked as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I told her I loved her," Hotch said and shook his head in dismay. "I haven't felt like this since Haley and I feel like I shouldn't be allowed to," Hotch continued and sighed. "Maybe it is just safer if I just leave it as me and Jack."

"Haley wouldn't have wanted that for you," Jess told Hotch and put her hand to his. "She would want you to move on and love someone like you loved her. You deserve that, Aaron, but just don't let the job destroy what you deserve again."

Hotch closed his eyes as he listened to the rationale around that statement. He knew Jessica was right, he did deserve to move on from Haley and let himself love someone new, but he felt like life had other plans in store for him. He opened his eyes as he heard her phone go off and he watched her type a quick reply and put her phone down on her lap. "Need to be somewhere?" Hotch asked as he watched Jess check her phone.

She shook her head, "I dropped Dave a text when I noticed you were coming too. He came over as soon as with Spencer and Emily. They're just heading up now, so I'm going to nick Jack and take him for something to eat."

"Jackers," Hotch shook his son a little. "Gonna wake up for your dad?" He asked and Jack woke up quickly as though to wrap his arms around his father's neck.

"Careful, Jack," Jess scolded and Hotch batted her concern off with a short okay. Jess looked up to see Rossi walking into the room and stood, "C'mon, Jackers, we need to run and grab some food." She saw the little boy look sleepily at his dad.

"You're coming right back," He told Jack who then relented and allowed his aunt to take him out of the room. Hotch put a hand to his head in sheer frustrated thoughts.

"You look like crap," Rossi joked trying to break the tension. "I'm guessing Jess told you what's gone down?"

"Bare basics," Hotch said as he pushed himself to right up. "Where's Emily and Reid?"

"Emily's parking, Reid's dealing with Lynch," Rossi told Hotch as he surveyed him carefully. He was waiting on one question in particular right now. One that wouldn't be about JJ, Derek or Penelope.

"Please tell me we have a lead?" Hotch asked the question, not deterring from his position on the team.

"Try that and an identity," Rossi said as he put a file down on the table by Hotch's bedside. "The neighbour that called emergency services also got a clear view of the van that drove away from the scene and also got most of the license plate." Rossi offered him a confident smile, "We're getting them all back."

"If it's not too late," Hotch fretted as he leaned forward to grab the file.

Rossi slammed his hand down on the file, "We are getting them back. I won't let you read this if you don't believe that." Rossi told him friend sternly, "They are alive. We're getting our team back."

"I'd like you to believe that if it were Emily," Hotch asked Rossi defensively.

Rossi picked up on Hotch's sudden hostility and chuckled a little at it, "Ahh, so there's more to this than platonic feelings at hand."

"Well of course, we're a family," Hotch tried to cover up with ease.

"That's not it," Rossi said with a grin like that of Cheshire cat, "Spill."

"I slept with JJ," Hotch admitted freely, he knew David Rossi wouldn't judge him. "I love her, and I said I'd protect her and now some Unsub has her along with Morgan and Penelope and forgive me if the pounding headache's not allowing me to be optimistic."

"Sorry, but JJ would understand. I mean what were you doing just before the explosion?" Rossi asking, fully intentional on confirming what he thought had happened.

"Getting her out of the house before it blew," Hotch replied honestly.

"So you saved her?" Rossi asked perplexed.

"No," Hotch defied the older man, "I walked her right into his arms."

"We have a possible address," Rossi calmed Hotch quickly. "Lynch got it to us just as we were walking in. We've potentially got him. I needed you caught up so you knew what to expect. We're going there now. We're going to get all three of them back. You were saving her, not walking her to that place."

"She's going to need me there," Hotch with a twisted groan as he threw the sheet off of his body.

"Aaron," Rossi pushed his friend, "You're not okayed to be discharged and I'm sticking with the doctor's here. We have this under control."

Fate's seem to take another twist as Reid bolted through the door, concern etched into his expression, his breathing heavy. He didn't even wait for Rossi or Hotch to talk, he needed them to rush. "Emily just took off after a van that matched the license and make," Reid said breathlessly as he entered the room, "Dave we gotta go. I got Lynch to send me the GPS on Emily's cell and we really gotta go."

_Or they did have it under control._

Rossi stood up, his heart pounding so hard he could hear his own beat in his ears. He kept a lid on his panic, and maintained a tough exterior. "I will get her back to you," Rossi vowed as he readied to bolt for the door. "Don't you worry." He left before Hotch had the opportunity to argue with him, or to beg for him to be allowed to go with them.

Hotch could only feel helpless as Jess came back in with Jack.

The only solace he had was Jack clambering onto the bed in order for cuddle.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	7. Solving Promises

**Disclaimer: Even on my 200th story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N: **_Some of you are hoping for an escape, others think it's Lynch... I suppose I will just have to appease your curiosity as soon as possible ehh? Enjoy this, and know how thankful I am to all those that read and reviews, those that alerted, favourite'd, and those that just read and enjoyed!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"No Emily no!" Rossi said as he hit the dashboard. "It can't have just gone."

"Sorry, Sir, but it's just gone," Kevin blurted down the line as he tried to call up the signal for Emily's phone, but kept coming up blank. "It got to a point and just disappeared. It could be the location they're in, it is a pretty big dead zone, or they could know about her cell. For the moment, she has just disappeared."

"She cannot just fucking disappear!" Rossi said with aggression and slammed his hands to the side of the SUV. With no GPS, no signal, no contact with Emily and two failed addresses they were running on dry. "This cannot be happening. We've had no contact with the bastard, and now he has JJ and Em."

Kevin coughed to clear his throat, "Er, Agent Rossi, Sir," Kevin said down the phone, "Is there any news on Penelope?"

"No, Lynch there isn't," Rossi bit back and ran a hand over his forehead. "Are you picking anything up?"

"Not just yet," He mentioned as he typed heavily across his keyboard. He wasn't going to let the BAU's best team down when everyone was running around trying to get the missing agents back. He was going to prove his worth to the directors.

"C'mon, Lynch," Rossi pushed even though he knew it was futile.

"Nothing at the moment, Sir. I'm trying," Kevin responded, his tone picking up the stress he was pressing himself with.

"There's got to be something," Rossi said as he looked to Reid.

"Her cells back up!" Kevin almost shouted with excitement. "She's nearly outside Quantico," He observed to them. "GPS is on your phones now."

Just as Lynch's maps and locations flooded the screen, Emily's name flashed up on Rossi's and he was instinctual to answer. His heart was in his throat, worried this was their captives and not her.

"Emily?" He asked down the phone, wary to hear a gruff male voice taunting him with Emily's life.

"Don't sound so edgy," Emily whispered down the phone to him.

Rossi felt like he could breathe once again, "What the hell, Em? What were you thinking?"

"You can lecture me later, but right now I'm in a spot of bother and I need Lynch to get my location. We're here, the others are here too," Emily assured them. "It sounds like they're pretty hurt, but they're all alive."

"How does he not know you've got your cell?" Rossi asked as he tried to think of a plan.

Emily smirked and chuckled a little down the phone, "Hidden it in my bra."

Rossi couldn't suppress the chuckle in his chest from that comment. "We're coming to you," Rossi vowed to her.

"I gotta go," Emily said as she heard footsteps getting closer.

"Emily," Rossi reluctantly tried to keep her on the line.

"They're coming back," She told him urgently. "Find me," Emily whispered and put the phone down so she could have enough time to hide the cell again.

"Lynch, please tell me you have a location," Rossi ground out as he closed his cell, praying to the heavens above that they had something to go on now.

"Sending it to your GPS now, follow my directions and you'll be there within the next hour or so," Kevin told them confidently. His tone gaining the nerves he had managed to keep down low.

"Kevin, get EMTs and back up too," Reid started and exchanged looks with Rossi. "We don't know how hurt they are, but we can't risk waiting," Reid finalised and suddenly realised he was pushing his foot further down on the gas to pick up more speed.

"On it, bring them home," Kevin retorted down the line before closing the call.

"This ends today," Rossi said as he opened his phone to ring Hotch with the update.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Derek was watching Penelope as she slept on his lap. His eyes were watching her so intently he didn't realise her eyes were beginning to open until she groaned softly. He was happy to see her awake, but he knew that soon Andrew would be back and if he was right, then JJ would be chucked into the bowels of hell whilst Penelope was subjected to some form of torture or another.

"Hey," He rasped out at her.

"Hey," She managed to say back and swallowed down against her dry throat.

"Not gonna give up on me are you?" Derek asked her wearily. He didn't want to let her give in, but he didn't want her to stress out and apply more pressure on her weakening body, but he had to know that she was going to give this a fighting chance.

Penelope smiled weakly and closed her eyes to that, "Goonies never say die."

Chuckling dryly, Derek looked at Penelope, "You best believe it." Pushing her hair out of her face, he watched her close her eyes before opening them to look up at him a little. "How you doing?" Derek asked as he surveyed her body as it still laid crumpled against him, her head still in his lap where she managed to crawl once Andrew had relieved her of her 'duty' for the day. It might have taken nearly eleven hours, but with one quick backhand Penelope was off her feet and on the floor and left alone.

Penelope's face crumpled with that question and she just began to cry. Bringing her hand up, she tried to calm herself down, but she was in so much pain she didn't know where to start. If it wasn't her neck from the prior strangulation and bite wound and subsequent burning, then it was the whipping. Even if it wasn't them, her joints all up her legs were screaming in excruciating pain from the task bestowed upon her the day before. To top it all, all she had been given since being here was water and the starvation was really starting to wreak havoc upon her body.

"Hey, hey, Baby, stop that," Derek soothed her quickly, wiping the tears away. "No tears." He finished as he brought her hand away from covering her face and wiped her tears. "I know you're in pain, but you gotta keep some faith alive, P. They're coming for us," He then cast a glance to JJ. "They know JJ's here too; they have to have some sort of lead."

"I guess so," Penelope replied despondently, and finally moved herself stiffly off of Derek's lap.

Sitting up, Penelope slumped against the wall next to Derek, trying to mentally prepare herself for whatever was in store for them today. Maybe she'd have to watch Derek have his skin sliced away rather than JJ, or maybe she'd have to watch JJ be whipped or branded. Maybe today would mark her death. Whatever she thought wasn't as mountainous as the thought of what had driven a wedge between her and Derek almost three weeks ago.

Derek turned to look at Penelope as she stared off thoughtfully, "Gonna share what's on that beautiful mind?"

Looking at him, Penelope smiled sadly as the tears began again before any words were spoken, "I said no to Kevin, because I wasn't ready to settle for second best," Penelope confessed with a half sob. "I never had the first pick of men as it was and even when someone was interested in me, in getting a life with me, I screwed it up and now I don't even have anyone to love me."

"That's not true," Derek told her and wiped her tears away. "For God sake, this isn't going to sound sincere, it's going to sound like it's a reaction to being here, but it isn't."

"He loves you, Pen," JJ's voice drifted into the air. She smiled as both of them looked up at her with shock. "I've known for a while," She shrugged, "I heard you tell Spence."

Derek's face scrunched together at that, "Th-that was over three months ago."

"And if I remember rightly, you didn't want to make her lose a great guy," JJ commented as she got up and went over to Derek's other side and had a try at pulling free the chains. She ignored her pains and ignored the bleeding from her hip. "We need a plan. One that means you two get to make up properly and actually do what we've all been waiting out on."

"I'm not going far," Derek pointed out the obvious, "But you two need to somehow ambush him or sneak out before he shuts the door. I've noticed that he knows we won't be going far so he doesn't shut the door immediately. If he does that again, run."

"I don't think I have the energy," Penelope doubted worriedly. She actually didn't think her legs would carry her far either and she certainly had no energy to fight him like she had before.

Andrew had made sure he had weakened her and he had made sure she was well aware of that fact too.

Derek furrowed his brow for a moment, "You do what you can, Pen. Even if JJ's the only one that gets out, it's still someone. You can still get help right?" Derek asked as he looked to JJ who nodded. "We're getting out of here before the end of the day."

Even Penelope couldn't ignore feeling slightly hopeful as Derek said that line with such strength and conviction. It was fortified when she looked to JJ who looked confident with the plan.

Maybe they were going to get out of here alive.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Andrew watched the glint of the blade in his hand. He was going to cut one finger off each lady and send as a darling present to their 'family'. First he would give them to the newest arrival, the one that had willingly walked into hell. He had been more than satisfied when his partners had thrown Emily into the room JJ had previously been held. This was turning into delicious goodness having all of the women here with them.

Pushing the door open, he looked straight at Derek as he remained practically fastened to the wall by the chains that were rubbing his wrists sore. It was almost like a shrine in the middle of the room, the masterpiece of it all – breaking the strong man.

Smirking, he readied to see Penelope a victim of her wounds, JJ weakening after their knife fun, but they weren't cowering on the floor like he had spent last night dreaming they would be. They weren't anywhere to be physically seen. He felt tricked for a moment until movement in both corners of his eyes told him he was being played.

Taking on the slower moving figure, he swiped around knowing fair well it was too late to slam the door shut now.

JJ ran for the open door, she could swear she could hear Spencer's voice and she just had to follow his voice because she had to believe that at the end of it was Hotch. So far it seemed to be going to plan. Derek had screamed at them to run and she was sure Penelope was right behind her, but when she looked back that wasn't the case anymore.

"Run, JJ!" Derek cried out aggressively as he ripped at his chains as though it were second nature now. "Don't come back! Just go!" He watched her hesitate as Andrew's body flew around in Penelope's direction. "Just go!" Derek called out.

JJ knew she was could defy him and not get help quickly, and cause more injury, or she could listen to Derek and just run, and as his demand came about with pure venom in his voice she ran as quickly as she could She ignored how sore she was and how in pain running was, she just needed to follow Reid's voice.

Not even slowing as she heard Penelope's gasp of pain and Derek's reverently angered swearing.

_I could kill her and leave you there, like you are right now, for you to watch her rot away._

As Derek watched Penelope put her hand to her stomach, blood gushing from between her fingers, he felt Andrew's words come true. He was going to be left chained here to watch her die. He watched the ironic beauty of the blood as it flew from her stomach in crimson ribbons.

Penelope looked up at Andrew after he had slammed the knife into her stomach the second time and then dropped her gaze to Derek. _Had this really happened?_ This wasn't a part of their plan! It was as though Andrew's reaction to JJ's swift escape was to prevent anyone else leaving and Penelope was sure she wasn't going to get up from this now.

Derek's breathing became almost rabid. If only the loose bolt in the wall would give and he'd be almost completely free. He looked to his left and ripped harder, bringing all of his energy together. The pure thought of Penelope bleeding out now empowered him to let every pent up piece of anger he had ever buried deep within him out. Anger from his father's death, from Carl Buford, from Penelope getting shot, to Emily 'dying', to Kevin Lynch ever taking Penelope away from him, the night he and Penelope fought, to all of this torture. It all came out and it seemed to give him the energy he thought he was losing, when he looked up the strength in him and the hate for Andrew only grew.

He watched Penelope collapse to the floor and Andrew remained standing in his spot. In horror, he saw her hands slack against their hold on her stomach and he knew that one last act of malicious anger had finally delivered the final blow that took the remnants of her fighting spirit away from her.

"You fucker!" Derek spat out so aggressively that the physical exertion he applied with it freed the bolt keeping his left hand chained. It fell from the wall and Derek was able to swing the heavy chain and hit Andrew around the leg with it so it nearly wrapped around his ankle.

Without a single word spoken, he stalked towards Derek; his trance on Penelope's failing body now as it lay on the floor. Derek's eyes watched the knife that was kept at waist height, the one that was stained with Penelope's blood and he felt his blood boil all the more.

Andrew swiped out and Derek put his arm up so his face took none of the damage. He felt the slice through his skin and then he felt the swift jab in his side, but Andrew's attempts were futile in weakening Derek.

He was too enraged at seeing Penelope's full on demise moments ago.

It happened to quickly; he managed to somehow dodge any more swipes of the blade and tripped Andrew up so he fell to the floor with a heavy thump, the knife hitting the floor out of reach.

Now it was game time for Derek.

Intuition and his training made Derek react. His adrenaline energising him just enough to have the ability to fight back. Instinctively, he grabbed the chain and wrapped it around Andrew's neck, pulling hard as he went. He watched the man smack the ground with one hand in a bid to find the knife, whilst the other tried to fight for a gap in chain to allow him some breathing space.

However, Derek wasn't going to give him the opportunity of having mercy bestowed upon him, nor was he was going to allow him a minor breath to prolong this. In his job, he let Unsubs go to justice, to have whatever future they were owed, but with Andrew, he wanted to see death become him.

Penelope wasn't granted mercy, or time to recuperate. Penelope wasn't allowed peace to come to her; she was just given more and more until she was weakened into a tortured victim. Penelope was made to cry about life before, and to fear the life ahead. Penelope was subjected to pain and grief and she was made to beg for her life, for Derek's and last night he had listened to her beg for JJ's when standing and watching had become too much.

With all the more thought in mind, Derek's hands tightened the chain around Andrew's neck and Derek was almost filled with pleasure as he watched Andrew's eyes bulge and his face redden with the nearing of death. With one last remaining fibre of his strength, Derek issued one more tightening grip and watched as Andrew's hand fell limp and lifeless to the floor. It was only then that Derek finally released all pressure from the man's neck and Derek felt like his body was completely spent.

Checking the man's pockets, Derek found a bunch of keys and prayed that one would at least unlock the other chain from his wrist. Shakily trying them all, he didn't dare look to Penelope as more and more time lapsed past. The moment the key turned and the cuff fell to the floor; Derek was racing to Penelope, not bothering to get rid of the other cuff that still had the chain on from when he killed Andrew.

Ignorant of his own stab wound, Derek crawled to Penelope's side and pushed her to her back before pressing his hands to her body to stem the bleeding. He watched her face scrunch with pain as the pressure seemingly brought her back to life and she grunted with the pain.

"Gonna look at me, Precious?" Derek asked and couldn't shake the fear from his voice. He might have defeated their captor, but it was above him and out of his control to defeat death itself. Watching her look to him, he smiled a little. "You fighting strong there, Penelope Garcia?"

Penelope smiled as pain hit her again, "Oh yeah, Handsome. Stronger than ever me." She looked at him, but the spreading of red caught her attention and she looked in alerted worry. "You're bleeding," Penelope worried as she put her hand out to push him to the side so she could inspect why he was now bleeding so heavily.

Derek smiled at her, "It's nothing. Just means that I won't be able to take down a door or two for a while."

Not withholding, Penelope laughed a little, but resulted in groaning, "This could have ended better than this."

"I see this as an escape," Derek optimised as he shifted with a grunt of pain.

Looking beyond, Penelope noticed Derek move into her line of vision, so she looked up at him, "Did we get him?" Penelope asked weakly as she realised that Derek's body was shielding her from whatever was on the other side.

"I promised I would kill him, Pen and I did," Derek said as he felt himself weaken entirely.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down," Penelope whispered at him as she tried her hardest not to succumb to the stab wounds in her stomach.

"I've got one more promise," Derek started as he pushed some of her hair out of her face and smiled.

"W-what's that?" Penelope asked him.

Derek just leaned in to kiss her before scooping her up into his arms, "I'm taking you home."

Without another word, he carried her towards the open door and followed the sound of familiar voices as they closed in.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	8. Brought Together

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_Right, I'm sorry for no update last night, I had no internet all day yesterday! As for mistakes in this, I haven't done a proper read through purely because I am exhausted after today and just want to update for you guys and then crash!_

_So I hope you enjoy... Don't think I'm out of tricks just yet ;)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

JJ was just about aware of the hum of machines around her as she woke up and it was broad daylight outside. She closed her eyes against the brightness, but flung them open the moment someone's hand touched hers.

"I see they patched you up," Hotch told her as she came to look at him. He couldn't withhold the smile he felt as he finally caught her eyes.

JJ smiled through the pain for a moment as she looked around, "Sure doesn't feel like it." She looked at him with dead seriousness as her eyes watered, "I thought they'd killed you, Aaron. I saw you laying there and you weren't moving. I couldn't do anything."

Reaching up, Hotch cupped her face, "It was close, but we're here and alive. We're going to get through this."

"How are the others?" JJ asked worriedly as she pushed herself up. "I mean, Derek wasn't doing great, but Pen, what he made her go through," JJ paused as Hotch got up and sat on the bed so he could push her back down to the pillows. "He was horrible to her."

"It's still early days with, Penelope, but Derek's doing fine," Hotch told her calmly and saw her go to question him. "She had a few head contusions where the back of her head must have hit the floor a couple of times and between malnutrition and bleeding from various wounds, her body's responding slowly. The stab wounds pushed her body over the edge apparently."

"She is going to be okay though?" She asked Hotch regardless. She was hoping that he could promise her something more than 'it still early days'.

Hotch smiled, "She's been waking up on and off, but it's not enough to see what damage has occurred. I say that Penelope lasted long enough at the hands of that bastard, so I think she'll survive this part of it."

"Good," JJ whispered as she remembered seeing Penelope receive a back handed slap to tell her, her job was over. "He was so cruel to her, Aaron. He taunted her with what he was doing to me all the time."

"Morgan said as much too," Hotch sympathised in a low, remorseful tone.

"What else did he say?" JJ asked quickly. "I mean, Andrew said he had nearly killed Penelope at least once and if he had it his way then he'd make sure me and her would die together. I saw the bruise around her neck; it didn't take a genius to work out that he had tried to strangle her."

"I think it can wait until you're more up to it," Hotch calmed her gently. "She's busted up pretty badly, but this is Penelope, we all have faith in her to bounce back."

"Plus she has Derek back," JJ told him a smile. "You were right, as always," She told him, "He fought for her and looked after her the best he could in there." She watched him smile at her, "I was so scared when you weren't there." JJ felt her eyes water at that admittance, "I saw Dave and Reid and even Emily, but you were nowhere to be seen so I thought the worse. Then Dave caught me and told me we had to get to the hospital where you would be waiting."

"I heard you put up a fight," Hotch joked with her.

"I needed to know that Derek and Penelope were safe," JJ told him softly and smiled. "I never quite understood Penelope's reason for calling Derek her noir hero, but when he came out of that building with her in his arms, covered in blood and sweat and looking so exhausted and ready to collapse I knew why. Especially when he never let her go, even though he was exhausted, he never made her feel unsafe. He just got her help before he collapsed."

"Should I be jealous?" Hotch quipped quickly and she laughed. "I heard he saved the day."

"Not before getting stabbed though," JJ pointed out solemnly.

Hotch leaned in, "I've told you once, I'll tell you again, we're all going to be just fine." He then stole a kiss just to seal the promise to her. "You and me, Derek and Penelope, Dave and Emily even Reid, we're all going to make it through this like a family."

"I know," JJ finalised as she allowed herself to realise they were home and safe now.

"Now you're a little more awake I can get Will to bring Henry by later," Hotch told her with a smile. "For now, I'm getting a nurse to come give you some more pain meds."

Hotch watched her close her eyes and leaned down to kiss her gently before walking from her room for a moment.

Interesting would be what the atmosphere would be like when Will turned up and discovered that JJ had finally moved on.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"I need to see her," Derek said as he sat more alert on the new day. He had had no other option yesterday but to sleep it away against his will, but now he was awake he was agitated and moody. "I can't just sit here."

"Derek you have to," His mom chided him as he tried to form an escape. "You're in no fit state," She reminded him again.

"Listen to your mom, Morgan," Emily jumped in to help.

Derek put his hands to his head, ignorant of the pull it was placing on his sore and cut wrists from the chains. "I just need to see her; I need to know she's okay."

"She's not awake yet," Emily pointed out to him. "Not properly anyway."

"Well then, isn't that worrying?" Derek asked with tone full of sheer frustration.

Emily shook her head as she sat up, "The doctor isn't worried about that Derek, not with the amount of blood and fluid loss from her body. Her body's in shock, so it's just up to Penelope to recover." She smiled at her friend and colleague, "When she wakes up she'll be fighting to get here to you."

"But until then I'm stuck here when I should be there, with her," Derek told Emily and felt useless all over again - This time for a totally different reason.

Emily, taking the decision upon herself, stood up. "I'm going to go let Reid leave her, and I'm sticking around," Emily told him confidently. "I'll make sure that any change, however minuscule, is reported back to you Morgan."

"Not good enough," Derek huffed and winced as the pain in his chest played up.

"Tough, Buddy," Emily told him as she crossed his arms over his chest, "You're just going to have to suck it up and take it like a man." She smirked and looked to his mom, "If you have any issues remind him I'm not afraid to use force."

"I thought you were going to Penelope?" Derek asked with a cocked brow.

Emily putting her hands up, "Count me as gone." Emily replied and left him alone with his family.

The moment she was gone, Derek pushed the sheet down enough that he could pull the horrible hospital gown up. He wanted to know the real damage, not what the doctor had told them.

"What are you doing?" Fran asked her son intently.

Derek looked up from his body to his mom, "If I'm this bad, how bad is Penelope going to be?" He asked seemingly lost. "I want to know what damage that bastard did to her!"

"Derek," Sarah stepped in to calm her baby brother, "I know he hurt you both, and neither of us three can even begin to understand the unimaginable things you had to experience and witness, but you need to be strong for her now and for you."

Desiree got up to move closer, "We've seen her, and she had woken up slightly, and she asked about you, but until she's more awake there is no point you sitting in there worrying yourself sick. You need to heal and rest too, Derek."

"She needs me," He said as his mind became flooded with memories of what had occurred and how she had told him she loved and why she had said no to Lynch. He remembered seeing her bleeding out whilst he remained chained to the wall and the same helpless feeling rose in him all over. "She loves me; she's going to expect me there."

"There's a time to be her hero later," Fran commented as she leaned in closer too as though to show Derek his family were here to aid the new process.

Feeling his baby sister's arms around him, Derek broke down. He needed Penelope like none other and the separation was conducting so much anxiety in him that he was more than a broken man now.

After all, when you had her blood on your hands and had to be her hero, the whole world became your enemy.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"_What was that about in there?" Derek bellowed at her, "My public humiliation or just some fucking game for those girls to witness or a way to make men jealous for you to get some?"_

"_It wasn't about those girls, or you, or about any men around," Penelope told him, "None of them matter."_

"_Well no, it's not like you want any other man," Derek told her venomously. "You had two great guys in your life. Both might I remind you would do anything for you, and both of them you treated like crap and both of them walked away from you."_

"_You're still here," Penelope told Derek, trying to believe that Derek would always here._

"_Well guess what, Penelope? Watch me walk away too," Derek said and pushed her away from him, "For good."_

Penelope's eyes flew open, it was dark out and she was just aware of the hospital life that continued on the outside of her hospital room. Closing her eyes she let her heart revel in the pain that that night had flooded her system with. She couldn't stop the tears because it seemed that now they had started they couldn't stop.

There was a part of her that believed that now they weren't in hell, Derek would revert to not talking to her. _He loved her!_ He had said so, but right here, right now, in this hospital room she felt like the loneliest person alive.

"Penelope," Emily's voice burst into her head.

Looking up, Penelope saw her friend and smiled, "I should've known you'd be here." She swallowed dryly as she came away of her new predicament.

"Of course I would be!" Emily chirped back at her, "I would have hoped you would have woken up long before now though."

"What do you mean?" Penelope asked as she brought her hand up to her head as everything in her body came alive.

"We got you out yesterday morning, it's now coming up 9 in the evening," Emily said and reached in to shift some of the tears on Penelope's face out of the way. "You all made it though," She breezed with a smile, "JJ's possibly going home in the morning and Derek, he's being a proper grumpy bear not being allowed in here."

"Is he okay?" Penelope asked in alarm and tried to sit up exacerbating her wounds, "I need to get to him."

Emily pushed her friend back down, "Derek is just fine – believe me," She scoffed with a slight eye roll. "Pen, you can't go to him, your body sustained a lot of trauma, you need to rest up." Emily watched the emotions wash through Penelope's eyes and she felt her heart flutter and her reserve drop. "You're going to be okay," Emily told Penelope, more to remind herself than Penelope. "We're going to be here every step of the way."

Penelope nodded and bit her lip, she wanted Derek or JJ right now, she needed someone that had been on the receiving end of Andrew. Looking up to Emily, Penelope weakly reached up to move her fringe out of the way, "What happened?" She questioned and her hand dropped heavily back down to the mattress.

"Hotch got admitted after JJ's house was blown up, me and Reid were outside when someone targeted us, I told Reid to come and alert Rossi and I made a beeline for the van. I walked into their plan and played them at their own game," Emily returned with a smug grin. "Dave's ready to kill me, but I saved you guys even when we thought it was too late."

"You're an idiot when you wanna be you know that?" Penelope asked as she felt the painless sleep beginning to take over her body. She wanted to fight it, but she could feel the calm it was offering and the peace it was flushing into her system.

She was only aware of Emily getting off of the bed and talking to someone as she finally fell off of the cusp of consciousness and got lost in the bliss of darkness.

When Penelope woke up again she was completely alone. The unfamiliarity of the room did nothing to heed her heavy breathing, nor did it help her make sense of anything. As her mind came back to remind her that she was in the hospital, she felt stricken by something.

"_Game time!_" Came the evil whisper of Andrew in her ear and she looked and saw nothing, but as she did the same evil voice came in her other year, "_I'm back, Penelope!_"

It was in that moment that she sat up and ripped all the tubing away from her body. In a frenzied panic she needed an escape. However painful it was, however long it took she wasn't sticking around for Andrew to get her again.

As she stumbled passed a room, she saw Derek asleep in the bed. She stood by the window a little out of the way. She was aware of his mom and sisters and she was well aware of a jealous throb that rose within her. None of her family would be here like that - the fact she had woken up alone had proven that. This entire predicament had caught her unaware at how lonely she was in this world now.

Hearing her name, Penelope assumed Andrew was closing in on her and memories of how she ended up in this place came full throttle at her. She could feel her body wasn't up for this stress, nor was it ready for this type of stamina to aid an escape. The familiar throb in her joints told her that standing was a bad idea – again! – but she needed to get free. She went for the stairs and rushed out of sight, the voice carrying her name getting closer and closer.

Getting to the bottom of the first set of stairs, Penelope sank down in the stairwell and sobbed. She could master one flight of stairs, let another God knew how many. She was trapped and all she could do was hope that someone knew Andrew was after her. As she heard the door open, she curled up to protect herself except the voice that was here with her now wasn't Andrew, it was softer and more caring.

"Penelope," Came the voice once more and Rossi watched as Penelope's head flew up and stared at him. "Penelope, it's me Dave."

It was now Penelope was aware of her heart thrashing in her chest and every ounce of pain and lack of energy came back and she broke entirely. "Did you get him? He was here," Penelope sobbed painfully as Rossi crouched down with her. "H-he was coming back for me."

"Kitten," He started softly, "he's gone. Derek killed him. He's never coming back for you." Watching her nod, Rossi looked over his shoulder to look at Reid, "Go notify the nurses I'll be bringing her back up in a moment."

"Dave?" Penelope asked as Reid rushed away.

"What's up, Bella?" Rossi asked back as he tried to help her stand up.

"Please don't leave me," She whispered helplessly. In her mind, Andrew was coming back for her and if she couldn't have Derek then she wanted to latch onto the next best thing and Rossi was like a protective father, he would protect her.

Rossi smiled at her, "Wasn't my intention in the first place, but Hotch needed an update. I didn't think you'd have the energy to do this."

"I don't," Penelope admitted as she realised she had hardly no energy to make it back. She had no idea how she made it here, but now she was here she was not only a wreck, but she couldn't move through sheer fear, pain and exhaustion.

"Work with me, Penelope, and we'll have you back in bed in a minute," Rossi guided her and helped her stand up. He then allowed himself to take most of her weight and helped her up the stairs. He encouraged her as he took most of the energy needed and he scolded her lovingly to make her laugh a little, but he knew her body was still weak.

As they neared her room, Penelope felt a wave of unease come over her. One moment she thought she was going to make it and then the next her legs buckled and she was falling to the ground only just aware of Rossi catching her midst decent.

Rossi released a breath as Penelope's eyes opened again and he realised she had pushed her body to its limit's and now she was paying. He looked around and called for help as he realised he could push her to stand on her own accord, and he didn't want to cause her more harm than she had already caused by carrying her.

Emily having seen the commotion, rushed out of Derek's room, "What happened?"

"I think it was a panic attack," Dave said as Emily came towards him and Penelope's unconscious form. He looked as nurses came towards him. "She didn't have the energy for this," He said as he was pushed away and stood up. "She thought he was here, Em."

As they watched Penelope be taken back to her room, they followed, nerves buzzing in them again. It had been a long week, and it just seemed to be getting longer.

When they were declined access initially, Rossi sat down outside Penelope's room frustrated and tired, "This is going to be a long road to recovery, and if it's this bad now, what's it going to be like when we're get them all home?"

"You know you wanted our family back together?" Emily asked quietly and looked the man she loved as he looked at her.

"Yeah," He said, his worry still marring his face heavily.

Pointing to Derek rushing from his room towards them she looked at him and smiled, "We have a family back. We'll get through this." Emily promised him as she placed her hand on the opposite side of her face and drew it close enough to kiss his cheek. "Now c'mon," She said as she stood up and put her hand out to him, "I think Penelope and Derek need us for the moment."

Taking Emily's hand, Rossi finally realised that their plan might have failed, but their new plan might just have been made easier.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	9. Compromising This

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_I don't intend these breaks, but they seem to just happen! I hope you enjoy what's to come =) _

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"How bad?" Penelope croaked as she watched Derek flex in the chair, his face contorted in pain, yet the moment he heard her voice it seemed to be forgotten. She had been watching him trying to get comfortable and was pretty sure if she was to push him towards going back to his room for rest, he would ignore her completely.

"Bad enough," Derek told her and leaned forward to grab her hand. "You're getting your rest in, Baby. How you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Penelope tried to block.

Derek raised an eyebrow at her. The cut on his forehead raising with the act.

"My neck's really sore and uncomfortable," She admitted to Derek as her head fell to the side more to look at him. "That and my back."

"I'm really not surprise," Derek responded and remember how she got both of those injuries among the others. It was hard to forget when watching those torturous acts were the only thing you could do because guilt would fill your every cell if you looked away. He had to watch to even begin to empathise with Penelope. If he couldn't help her, he needed to watch to at least feel like he was being punished for not saving her regardless of being chained.

"I've never been so glad to have you back," Penelope admitted softly as she looked down at his hand in hers. "I missed you so much."

"It was only fortnight," Derek joked, trying to lighten the mood even slightly.

Flashing her gaze up at him, she smiled weakly, "Might as well have been a lifetime."

"I'm here to stay now," He promised and kissed her knuckles delicately. "And we've got a recovery to get through so there's a lot of time to spend together."

"Good," She replied meekly, "I hated seeing you talking to everyone else, but when I was around you just shut up or left. That really hurt to experience." She tried to ignore the fact that she was crying and she huffed a laugh, "I even went home a couple of times just so I could cry."

"Baby," Derek said apologetically.

"Don't, I made that happen. I brought that on myself," Penelope looked at him. "That was_ the_ worst definition of my entire life. I took you for granted." Penelope felt her lip tremble. "When he hurt you, I had never felt that feeling before and it scared me," Penelope admitted and continued to look at him, her eyes wide and watery. "I-I wanted him to hurt me so that he didn't hurt you and I wanted to kill him and I have never felt that over anyone in my life and I just wanted to prove to you that I was strong and that I could cope."

"Ever think that I was happy when he hurt me?" Derek asked her back, "Hell, I selfishly was happy when he hurt JJ and I was even proud of her when she told him she could take it. I just wanted you to have a break from it all."

"I would've taken it too," Penelope responded with a small smile.

Derek got up and sat down on the bed, "I know you would have, Baby, and that's what makes us such a good team. We're a family for intent and purposes. We all look after one another before looking after number one no matter what."

"I guess that's why we're unbeatable hey?" Penelope questioned confidently. She couldn't deny that when they needed to be a family they really were, even when they had lost their way a bit.

"That's definitely why we're unbeaten, Garcie," JJ's voice replied instead of Derek's and as the pair looked up at them, smiled brightly, "Fancy some visitors?"

Penelope smiled brightly, "Always!"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Excuse me?" Came a nervous voice from the doorway. Kevin felt like he was on the hot seat as everyone, including Derek's family looked at him. "I just came to see how everyone was doing. Especially you, Penny."

"Kevin," Penelope started and she saw Derek shift comfortably in his seat. She felt her nerves getting up, not her nervous ones, but her agitated ones. Kevin was the last person she wanted to see right now. It was a time for her to recovery, and spend with her family. Two days after her rescue was no time to be dealing with this type of stress!

"Can we talk?" He asked her and wrung his hands. "I mean alone."

Penelope shook her head, "They're not leaving." She could ask them to leave, but they were the only thing that was keeping her sane right now and if they left, she would just be overtaken with what had happened. Even with someone as familiar as Kevin in the room with her.

"Okay," He gulped heavily. He had something to prove so he supposed he needed witnesses. "I'm sorry for everything, Penelope," Kevin stated nervously. "When I was told you were missing, I felt like I had lost everything. I realised that it's only you that I love and it's only you that I want. I can forgive you for your job, and I can forgive you for your relationship with Morgan. I know they're unchangeable. I can offer you a good life, if you'll just let me. I can help you get better after this and I can make you entirely happy. I just need the chance. What do you say, Plum Sauce? How about a second chance?"

Derek felt his body shake as his heart began to pump harder, "I need to go." He grunted as he got up and began to leave. He didn't want to see a pleasant reunion as Penelope went back to a safety net. Which was cause to happen after the torture she had gone through. He had seen victims sought familiarity – starting a relationship with him was not a priority to Penelope anymore.

"Derek," Penelope called after him, albeit weakly, but she tried. "Derek, please."

Kevin stood in the way of the door, blocking her view. "Leave him, Penelope," Kevin soothed her. "I'm here now. I'm who you need now." He continued to go towards her, ignoring the glares everyone was giving him in the instance of Derek's fleeing moment.

"I don't want you here!" Penelope shouted back and put her hands up to run them through her hair. "I'm not some vulnerable victim for you to try and win back! Things have changed so much since we broke up, Kevin! And believe me, there were a lot of things that you told me that I will never, ever forget!"

Agitation caught Penelope then; she pushed herself up regardless of her stiff limbs – the extra payment of Andrew's vicious attacks – regardless of her war wounds. She just needed to get to Derek.

"Penelope, you need to rest. You can't be doing this again," Emily coerced her to just relax. "He'll come back."

Shaking her head, Penelope spoke up, "No, I need him back here. I need him to come back now." She looked at Emily, completely ignorant of everyone in the room – Kevin included – and felt her entire body begin to shake. "It's all about him, Em," She said soulfully. "Had I not had him in there with me I would have given up, but he never left me alone. He fought for me and he took the pain for me. He came back to me," She began to sob and Emily quickly gathered her in her arms. "I got him back and I don't want to ever lose him again like I had."

"Hey, PG, he is coming back to you," Emily told her and smiled warmly. "He's just threatened by Kevin getting back what you two are getting."

"I almost lost Derek before, and I can't go through that again," Penelope sobbed and her body shuddered with the impending tears. "He has to come back."

Fran stood up and went over to Penelope. The moment she could, she made Penelope look at her, "He'll come back to you."

Shaking her head, Penelope defied that logic, "I hurt him before all of this and he walked away from me. He knows he can do better than me, Fran, he knows. I proved that to him the night he stopped talking to me."

Feeling confused, Fran looked to Emily as Penelope's sobs took over. "What is that all about?"

"About a fortnight before they were taken, there was a massive bust up between the two of them," Emily started to tell Derek's mom as her hand slowly played with Penelope's hair to help soothe her somehow. "They hadn't spoken to one another and then they were taken."

"Fran, I'm so sorry," Penelope said as she pulled away from Fran's shoulder.

Fran wiped a tear away and put her hand to Penelope's jaw line, "You've got nothing to be sorry about."

Penelope nodded at her then, "H-he put a gun to Derek's head because of _me_," Penelope managed to say as she tried to calm herself and she looked at Fran. "I nearly got him killed because I couldn't stand in one spot. He told Derek it was my fault that the bullet from that gun was going to be in his head and again I saw the moment we fell out. I'm never going to get him back at this rate because I broke us and I keep breaking us."

"Shh, shh, you love him and he loves you," Fran told Penelope and all she could see was the doubt. "He will come back, but Derek's in a hard place, but he loves you enough to forgive you and move on and you will." It was as Penelope's pained sobs rang out that she just hugged her again.

All the team and Derek's sisters could do was watched as Penelope was engulfed in Fran's arms lovingly. They only felt a little more relaxed and grateful when Kevin left the room hastily.

Getting up slowly, JJ ran her hand over Hotch's shoulder and headed down the corridor towards Derek's hospital room. She had seen only part of what went down in Andrew's hellish torment, but what she had seen was two best friends brought back together by that shared experience and in turn, the truth had come out.

She refused to see Derek and Penelope waste this chance.

"You're being insecure," JJ commented as she watched him throw his stuff together into his bag. "You really think you're gonna get out of this hospital."

"I'm gonna try," Derek snapped as he threw something down a little too heavily and the pains exploded in him. "I can't be dealing with their lovey dovey, whatever the fuck that is!"

"There isn't anything there," JJ frowned at that and Derek looked up at her. "Penelope declined it, right before you left the room or didn't you hear? I mean I saw you zone out, but that much? Jeez, Morgan."

"She needs to go back to him," Derek pushed her to realise that.

JJ laughed lightly at that claim, "How did you work that out?" She asked him, "From where I'm standing she won't be going there any time soon – or ever for that reason."

"Why the hell not? It's the safest _option_ for everyone," Derek replied sorrowfully and even he didn't believe his own claim.

"Derek, what I saw back there was two people that love one another," JJ told him calmly as she stood on the other side of the bed. "When she thought she had failed that task Andrew gave her, she fought with every bit of energy to get a second chance and she was guilt ridden because she nearly got you killed."

"It doesn't matter," Derek deflected sadly.

"Who was it that held her when she was getting weaker and weaker?" JJ pressed onwards, not letting his pessimism ruining what was potentially great between him and Penelope. "When she was in pain and scared who was it that she was glad to have holding her? I don't remember her wishing for Kevin, just that she was glad to have you back. You, Derek, no one else, but _you_."

"He's always going to be the safety net she needs," Derek deflected heavily as he sat down on the bed.

"Why would she want to have the safety net when she can have the hero?" JJ asked him before going to leave entirely, only talking to him over her shoulder, "Think about it, Morgan."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

After getting everyone to leave, Penelope turned away from the door, facing the window she gazed out into the darkening sky as the evening washed in. She wanted Derek, and having heard multiple people promise to get him, she was still alone.

Putting her hand over her eyes, she let out a sob into the quiet room and didn't care about the pains in her body being exacerbated by the body shiver she did as a result. She didn't want Kevin, not after their breakup and yet the kidnapping and torture showed her one thing – Nothing had changed. Derek still hated her, if he had doubted her intentions so much then that meant that night in the club had really damaged them and they were far more beyond repair than she had been led to believe.

At that thought, she fully broke down and curled up the best she could and willed herself to sleep the day away. Even when her sobs quietened, the tears didn't slow and sleep didn't even come to her. So she just lie a mess, as she come to believe that nothing was okay between any of them. If it wasn't between her and Derek, then team weren't a family after all. Everything that happened was just placating everything whilst they recovered.

So she just lay there, staring away the night, not aware of anything in her reality for the meantime. However, she knew Derek had entered the room even without looking.

"Pen," Derek said cautiously as he stepped into the room.

Wiping her face secretly, Penelope closed her eyes, not sure if she was ready to have this talk with Derek. Now she wished she was asleep so she didn't have to lie.

Derek sighed heavily, "I'm sorry," He broke the silence, he needed to get this out and he knew she wasn't asleep, her body was too tense, but he also knew that she wouldn't look at him. So he stood over her and started to talk about what was on his mind. "I didn't mean to leave like I did earlier. I just thought that since Kevin came back to you, that you would want him and he'd be right for you. He'd be your safe choice and after everything that's happened I felt threatened and I fled and I hurt you. I do love you, Penelope, more than I can ever tell you, but Kevin always had you first." Derek felt his morale plummet more so than before. "He always will be."

Penelope let out a sob again at that and could feel Derek walk around to the other side of the bed to face her. He fell into the seat by her bed and pulled it close with a grunt of pain and leaned in, reaching out to her.

"No, he isn't," Penelope told him as she finally allowed herself to look at him. "I always loved you first."

That was enough for Derek – the confession, the conviction – it broke him completely.

Derek got up, and, against his pained body, moved Penelope enough so he could wrap his arms around her. He ignored the doctor's requests for him to not do anything strenuous and move around too much and laid with her.

"I really can't have him win, because I would die if you loved another man," Derek told her and watched her look up at him with her eyes wide and glassy with tears.

Smiling a little, Penelope sniffed the tears back, "I don't love any other man than you."

"Good," He said and kissed her passionately, sealing the unspoken promises between them. "Exactly how it should be."

Having waited, JJ had left her seat and gone towards Penelope rooms. As she stood by the door, she smiled wistfully. She never expected that romance would be this alive after what they had all dealt with, but as she watched Penelope and Derek, and then felt Hotch thread his arms around her waist, she realised that nothing could kill true love.

"I really do love you," JJ whispered to him as he kissed into her neck like he had that morning before the house exploded. She smiled peacefully at the thought of having him to keep her safe like he had.

"I love you too, Jen," Hotch told her back. "I'm so glad you came back to me."

"After the other night, Aaron Hotchner, I had to come back for seconds," She quipped lightly and smiled as he kissed her neck again. "I had everything to fight for, more than just Henry, I had you too and that made me stay stronger than ever."

Hotch had to smile at that. There was no bigger power than that of mother – or father – fighting for their child, but to know that the woman that loved him fought to get back to him too made his heart fasten its beating and he realised he had struck lucky. Now, however, he wanted to spend the night alone with her before Henry joined them tomorrow, "I know you wanted to stick around a little longer, so do you know what you needed to?" Hotch asked her as she turned to face him.

She nodded, "I just needed to know everything was okay," JJ told him back as she looked at him.

"I think we can get you home now," Hotch told her as they looked away from Derek embracing Penelope. "Everything seems to be back on track."

Putting her arms around his neck, the pull on her waist and groin from Andrew's torture evident, but she just wanted to kiss this man and so she did, she showed him how much she loved him and how much she needed him.

She was never going to make him doubt her not for one day.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


	10. Looking To A Future

**Disclaimer:**** Even on my 200****th**** story, I still don't get to own even a smidgen of Criminal Minds! **

**A/N:**_A month long hiatus from this is totally unacceptable I know, but life took over and Uni took over and then when that passed, my muse ran! So after 30 days, you have an update... Thank you as always!_

_Mistakes are mine!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"You have no house?" Penelope asked as JJ sat on the other end of her bed facing her. Furrowing her brow, she watched as JJ shook her head at her, "You've got no house and I've got a house I don't want to go back to."

JJ cast a look over her friend and could see the terror that Penelope felt at not wanting to go near her home again. Here they were both homeless because of Andrew and for totally different reasons. Hers had been burnt down, exploded to pieces and Penelope's had been ambushed and the one place that should be sanctuary no longer was.

Sighing, Penelope rested to look at JJ, "I've been told I'm going to Derek's. Kinder like default, but it won't be the same as my home."

"We'll need to make new homes," JJ vowed positively. She hated that most of her stuff was now burnt embers and she had only a few bags that had made it outside in the process of Hotch getting her out. Everything that Henry loved was gone apart from what she had salvaged and what he had on him or at Will's.

"Guess that's something we'll have to do when we're both all healed up, Sweet Cheeks," Penelope told her friend, trying to grapple onto the shreds of hope that this was over. "A castle fit for my little Prince Henry."

JJ laughed and thought for a moment, "Maybe we can use this to our advantage. I mean Andrew ever coming into our lives. I can give Henry a better home, one that Will hadn't helped build up with me. Me and Aaron got one another, you and Derek were forced to confront one another and look how he saved you. I think we need to think more positive."

"We'll see what Derek thinks on that one," Penelope commented dully.

JJ looked around for a moment, "He hasn't even been in here this morning has he?" She asked after no noticing any sign of Derek's presence in the room today.

"He's getting a last once over before being discharged," Penelope told JJ and smiled, "Just me left in here."

"Well I'd say that now you're getting some more colour back you're be let out soon," JJ optimised warmly with a bright smile. "And you seem to wanting to do more so you getting up and about has to be some sort of leverage towards discharge papers."

"I guess," Penelope shrugged off, "The doctor doesn't seem to be hinting towards my release from this prison just yet, so you'll all be off and I'll be left here." She dropped her gaze, only to watch JJ's foot slide over to tap her lightly to make her look up.

JJ smiled as Penelope looked up, tears in her eyes heavily, "We aren't just leaving you here, Garcie." She gave Penelope a goofy grin, "Just because we have our family, doesn't mean we're taking away yours. I'm still going to be here every day."

"I just want to go home," Penelope said and crumpled and within moments JJ was up the bed holding her friend as she sobbed. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything to stop him hurting you. I thought about it, but I was too weak and I let him hurt you. You should hate me for that, Jayje."

Pulling back a little, JJ looked at Penelope and saw the remorse, "The only thing you should be sorry for is playing this blame game."

Looking to her friend, Penelope's eye were wide like saucers, full with tears and fears and unspoken questions, "How do I stop that? He was hurting me most, I expected him to hurt me all the time and when he didn't I thought I had done something wrong." Penelope looked to JJ then, "H-he nearly killed Derek because of me."

"Is this about me or Derek?" JJ asked Penelope simply and she could see from Penelope's eyes that this was more about Derek than anything. "Shall I share something with you?" JJ asked and Penelope just nodded. "Before I was taken, me and Aaron finally admitted to each other that we were in love with one another and when the house blew up, I remember thinking it was him picking me up off of the floor after the explosion and thinking that he was hero, but then when I was able to look at him and realised he wasn't him, I thought one thing," JJ paused and took in a difficult breath. "I thought he had died, and I was in that place with you two thinking that maybe Aaron died back there and I did nothing to stop it."

JJ hadn't realised she was crying until Penelope took her hand in hers. "I never thought I needed a man after Will, but I can't live without Aaron anymore. I can't do this without him and I don't know if that makes me a fool to be dependent on a man like that or not, but I know that I love him if I have faith to be dependent on him. You do the same with Derek, Garcie, so let him take the reigns when he wants to and let him lead you to whatever you need."

"He needs to get better too," Penelope told her friend, "He was there too, he needs to help himself before he can help me. We all do."

"No we don't, it doesn't work like that. We help each other whatever," JJ fought back in disagreement. "We don't work like that, Penelope." She felt her tears dry up, as her tenacity renewed itself. "Do you know how much I was scared when I knew he had stabbed you and Derek told me to run?" JJ questioned her fiercely. "How much I wanted to go back and fight to save you because he had done enough to you already? Given I was hurt, I was scared, whatever, I wanted to go back to you."

"I would've taken whatever to make sure he didn't touch you," Penelope admitted, more with a deflective meaning than anything.

"You nearly died, Pen, how much more would you have taken?" JJ asked her friend sincerely. "You almost bled out in Morgan's arms, how is that not taking whatever to make sure we weren't hurt? You bore the brunt of it all."

"He cut into you though," Penelope began shakily, "A-an-and the blood." Her eyes pooled with more tears, "How am I ever going to get rid of these images, Jayje? I can barely make it through an entire night without a nightmare and I can feel it's getting to me. How am I su-supposed to make it through the day when I get home?" Penelope asked her friend helplessly.

JJ hated that her best friend was haunted so early on, as expected as it was, she hated the idea that Penelope was alone when she woke up from her nightmares.

"Shall I let you in on a little something?" JJ asked as she took Penelope's hand in hers and settled down a little, waiting for her nod of approval to continue. Receiving it, JJ smiled, "When I saw Morgan carrying you out, I had never seen a better sight. Course, I hated to see you both so weak, and you so close to being gone, but it was like I knew everything was going to be okay because he was your hero again."

"Why are you telling me this?" Penelope sniffled, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Smiling, JJ allowed her grasp on Penelope's hand to tighten a little, "Because Derek is who is going to get you through this. You let him in and he will help you through every step of the way. You are never going to be alone. The dependency I have on Aaron is the same as you have with Derek. It's special and it's meaningful."

"I like being depend on Derek," Penelope admitted and looked up to JJ and smiled. "There's something normal about it. I feel at ease when I stop being so independent crazy."

JJ nodded and grinned like a fool again, "Believe me, I actually believed in your 'Noir Hero' description when he brought you out of that building," JJ almost swooned for a moment and remembered when Aaron had picked her up and cradled her after the car crash. He was her own hero.

"It felt surreal," Penelope spoke softly as she remembered their rescue. "I remember Rossi and someone putting an oxygen mask over my head and then Derek putting me down. I tried to grab his hand, but then Rossi yelled for help and I knew it wasn't good, but I don't remember much more than that. I tried to call to him and I couldn't. I was more scared not hearing him then than ever before."

"See," JJ commented delicately as she came and sat next to her friend, lying down with her, "You just need the man that loves you."

"Like you do," Penelope replied back.

JJ smiled at that thought, "Exactly like that."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"I expected you to be home," Hotch commented as he entered the room and went straight for a seat. It might have only been six days, but the aftermath of the car crash and the explosion were wreaking worse havoc on him than ever before.

"I haven't rang my mom to tell her I'm discharged," Derek told his boss. "I wanted to spend some time with Penelope, but her and JJ have been asleep near enough and hour."

Hotch looked at JJ as she finally looked peaceful. "She's not been sleeping well, so seeing her sleep this calmly is well worth it right now."

"Maybe that's because she's with Penelope," Derek commented, "They were there together, it would make sense."

Hotch nodded and felt a shot of pain in his head at that motion. Closing his eyes, Hotch battled the headache he still had and opened his eyes to see Derek watching from across the room in growing concern. "Headache," He commented and shook his head a little; "It keeps coming and going."

"Is it normal?" Derek quizzed.

"I've not been sleeping so I guess so," Hotch shrugged off and looked to JJ and Penelope. "I just feel like this isn't over."

"You too, huh?" Derek questioned, "I don't know how to explain it. I just feel like it ended too easily."

"Well if there's one thing I do know," Derek said as he shifted to get comfortable in his seat, "It's that I will do anything to protect Penelope from that bastard."

"I intend to do the same for JJ," Aaron commented and trusted those words immensely. He would fight his way through this and make sure his girl had it all, even Penelope and Emily. He wanted his family to be entirely safe once again.

Both men looked to their women they loved, and realised that unlike so many men they had seen on cases, they were the lucky ones. They still had the people that held their hearts so dearly.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope gasped awake again, like she had done every night since being back. It was just as she felt Andrew biting down into her neck, only this time he started to suck on the wound as he drew again and ripped her flesh away with it. As he went for more, the feel of his teeth on her fresh wound made her wake up harshly.

She jumped when she felt movement to her side and quickly she moved in fear to see who was there. She exhaled as she saw Rossi next to her, his face masked with concern. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Penelope asked as she tried to calm herself down.

"JJ might have mentioned something about nightmares," Rossi told Penelope as he sat up. "Spencer is going to be on watch tomorrow." He then stood up and sat on the bed, offering Penelope a friendly gaze, "You need me to get anyone, Bella?" He asked her in a calm tone.

Penelope closed her eyes to make her breathing calm a little, "No thanks, Dave," She told him and opened her eyes slowly. "Just a stupid nightmare again," She cast her gaze to him as she said that, "You can go if you want. I can hold fort myself, My Italian Stallion."

"You're not being left here alone, Penelope," Rossi told her and pushed her hair out of her face fatherly. "You really think that because our parents, sisters, whoever come here we'd forget about you?" He watched her shrug. "I know the last few months really do contribute to making you worry, but really you have nothing to worry about where your family is concerned. We are going to be spending every day of this recovery together and then we are going to build a good future with each other."

Not able to ignore his confidence in their ability, Penelope calmed and realised that even though something terrible had happened, there was a future past it. "I guess I just forget who my real family is when yours are all around," Penelope admitted and smiled, "I'll stop it, I promise!"

Rossi sat up straight, "Good!" He exclaimed and the schooled his expression. "Right, you need more sleep, Kitten," He told her authoritatively and sternly.

"I don't bite, neither do you," Penelope murmured and looked away, "Only one person does and he isn't coming back." Penelope tried to make herself believe though words as she felt Rossi move to lay with her. "What would Emily and Derek say if they saw this?" Penelope quizzed teasingly as she lay there in the dim light of the night.

Rossi chuckled and put his arm around Penelope, allowing her to get comfortable against him, "I think Derek would be happy to know I'm looking after his girls properly."

Penelope smiled a little at that, "Do you really believe this was meant to happen? Like fate intervened in the fact we were losing with one another?" Penelope asked lowly into the night filled room.

"Well a certain tech kitten I know told us all that everything happens for a reason," Rossi spoke to Penelope, reminding her of her own saying. "I was waiting for her to reappear," Rossi commented to her, feeling like a corner was being turned.

"After my chat with Jen earlier I am pretty much starting to see the positives," Penelope countered as she mulled over everything. "I feel like we're a group again and Derek and me found a resolve." She smiled, "He's more than talking to me now."

"I think he's more than talking to you now," Rossi chuckled at her, "Or are my eyes deceiving me."

Penelope moved to look up at him, "You know, we had a lot of time to speak in there. I think we found time to get _us_ back. He was my strength when I thought I had lost him." Penelope sighed contently, "It was my piece of hope that everything was going to work out."

"I'd say life is going to work out pretty damn well, Penelope," Rossi declared with confidence and he could feel Penelope relaxing at those words.

This was why she liked talking to Rossi. He was the man that always spoke to her like she was a long lost daughter. He never let her cast a shadow of a doubt over anything in life.

Penelope was just drifting off, and she could feel that Rossi was too. They had spoken long into the night, so much so the sun was beginning to lift in the sky readying to light it up. She was calm and sure that the more she spoke about everything the less the nightmares would haunt her. Both the pair jumped back to reality when they heard a nurse trying to stop people from barging in and the watched as JJ and Hotch ran into the room in urgency, their faces ignited with new concerns.

"What the hell?" Ross demanded as he sat up and looked at the pair.

"Spencer got shot," Hotch said immediately, not wasting any time not to confess why they were here.

Penelope pushed herself up at hearing that, "B-by who?" Penelope asked, her heart rate accelerating, her hands shaking with fear for her boy genius.

Hotch and JJ looked at one another, "Andrew's men." Hotch alerted them, "We need to get you to a safe house, Penelope. They're after us to finish the job."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fate's Monster -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**


End file.
